


Don't Carry It All

by mazberrypie



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Absent Parents, Beware There Will Be Puns, Family Issues, Fluff and Angst, Gen, I'm sorry but I have BIG PLOTTY things planned and it will involve angst, Post-Pacifist Route, Reader is gender neutral, Reader-Insert, Selectively Mute Frisk, Slow Build, Sort of????, and frisk and monster kid, farm au, the siblings are gender neutral too, though thats to be expected from a sans/reader fic, youre the one on the farm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-08
Updated: 2016-04-10
Packaged: 2018-04-30 14:38:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5167559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mazberrypie/pseuds/mazberrypie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"And really, you don’t mind a monster moving next door. You have enough on your plate with keeping the farm running and taking care of the kiddos that that sort of thing doesn’t really bother you. But the King of all Monsters, settling into a recently vacated house in the countryside? That seems unusual."</p><p>In which the monsters are out of the mountain and you live on a farm with your younger siblings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Asgore Dreemur, King of Really Neat Flowers

**Author's Note:**

> So, here I am. With my first Undertale fic. And it's a farm au??? Not even really a farm au, but yeah? I'm making this up as I go along folks. I'll also be adding more tags, but I'm worried about spoilers for when this fic eventually gets plotty. But first, have some good old fashioned exposition.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new neighbor?

“Lunch time!” You call out the front door, waiting until you can hear the sound of feet crunching up the gravel driveway before heading back into the kitchen.

Taking your place at the stove, you smile as your siblings burst into the dining room, bickering about something. They drop into their seats at the table, but one stern glance from you and they’re heading to the sink to wash their hands. Both kids are pretty thoroughly covered in mud and you sigh at the trail of it coming in from the entry. Then again, the rest of the house is pretty muddy too, so it’s just one more area you’ll have to clean.

“Spoon or fork?” You ask, digging in the silverware drawer.

“Spoon!” Cries Jo.

“Fork, please.” Requests Laurel.

You grab one of each and another spoon for yourself. Then, it’s just a matter of balancing the pot of mac and cheese while simultaneously carrying over the plate of hot dogs and the bowl of carrots. Somehow, you manage to get it all on the table without it tipping over and soon both of your siblings are digging in. You take a moment to watch the two of them eat, their full mouths causing a rare quiet moment.

“So, what are we up to today?”

“Well,” Jo gulps down a sip of water and wipes their face with the back of their hand, “y’know how we were talking about our new neighbor?”

You recall watching the moving truck drive up the country road with your siblings, both Jo and Laurel speculating who could possibly be moving in next door. Giving them a nod, you wait as they chug down some more water then slam their cup on the table.

“We went over there today and it’s a monster!” Jo exclaims excitedly, practically bouncing in their seat. “A really nice one too!”

Laurel is watching the exchange wide eyed, checking for your reaction.

“You didn’t bother them, did you?” You frown, knowing that your siblings have a tendency of getting their little noses into other’s business. Most people were thrown off by Jo’s boundless energy and Laurel’s quiet intensity. And the whole ‘identical twin’ thing.

“No, he said he wasn’t bothered! He even gave me and Laurel some tea and showed us his garden. He says that he’s gonna grow flowers to sell in town, he brought some seeds from under the mountain that we don’t have here.”

“Huh, that’s...pretty neat.” You admit. “What did you say his name was?”

“Asgore!”

And you almost choke on your own water, coughing and punching at your chest. Because of course you know that name, you have seen the ‘King of Monsters’ on TV more times than you could count in the last year.

When the monsters emerged from Mt. Ebbot, life hadn’t really changed too much. There weren’t many in the area at first, most of them moving to cities or spreading out through the country. People had been...hesitant, wary of the new and strange people that were suddenly everywhere. Most had warmed up to the monsters pretty quickly, but there are still lingering pockets of monster-haters, as humans are extremely good at hating anything different from them.

And really, you don’t mind a monster moving next door. You have enough on your plate with keeping the farm running and taking care of the kiddos that that sort of thing doesn’t really bother you. But the King of all Monsters, settling into a recently vacated house in the countryside? That seems unusual. Especially the fact that he is apparently starting up a flower business. Why on Earth would he choose being a florist over a powerful ruler?

“So, are you going back over there after lunch?” You ask, once you’ve stopped choking.

“Yeah!” Jo nods eagerly.

“If that’s alright.” Laurel adds, nudging Jo pointedly.

“Well, you still have to clean out the coup.” But you pause because of their downtrodden expressions, thinking a moment. “Why don’t we all pop over there and I can introduce myself?”

“Really?” Laurel asks, surprising you with their excited smile.

“Sure. We can ask Danny if he wants to come, too.” You tell them, referring to your second in command around the farm.

Jo beams at you, their smile stretching out their whole face. “Sweet! You’ll like Asgore, he’s really cool!”

“I’m sure he is, now finish up your lunches and we can go over.” You start finishing yours as well and soon all three bowls are empty and in the dishwasher.

“Let’s go, let’s go!” Jo hops to the door, dragging Laurel along and you laugh helplessly at their abundant energy and Laurel’s put upon frown.

“Hang on there cowboy, let me get my muck boots on.”

Jo makes a face, twisting their nose up and sticking out their tongue. “Ah, gross! You can’t wear your muck boots to go meet Asgore, he’ll think you’re stinky and weird.”

“I am stinky and weird.” You shoot back, pulling on the offending boots. “And it’s been raining lately, so I wanna stay dry.” 

Jo lets loose a long suffering sigh and even Laurel shakes their head at you as they both pull on their regular old rain boots. Pushing out through the screen door, Jo launches themself off the porch and Laurel follows at a more subdued pace. You join them, hands shoved into the pockets of your sweatshirt as they make their way towards the barn.

“Danny’s over here.” Laurel tells you, their voice soft. “I think he was fixing up that hole on the roof.”

And indeed, you can barely make out his form on the top of the barn, hammering something down onto the roof with a determined look about him.

“Danny!” Jo calls and he startles, dropping his hammer and turning to you all.

“Ah, hey Joey! You nearly shocked me out of my skin. Or off the roof.” He chuckles, leaning over the edge to talk to you. “What’s up Boss?”

You roll your eyes at his name for you, Danny has a thing for nicknames. “We’re heading over to meet the new neighbor, want to join us?”

“I’d love to, but I got a very important hole to cover.” He salutes with his hammer, almost braining himself and you wince. “I’ll just pop over later.”

“Alright, see you later!” You call, Jo and Laurel already heading up the driveway towards the road.

Fall was beginning to give way to winter, and the air was just this side of biting, the wind turning your siblings’ cheeks a rosy shade of pink.

Though he is now your closest neighbor, Asgore’s house is a ways down the road from your own.  You make the trek up your own driveway, the mud squishing under your feet, and up to the the country road past your house. The twins are already a ways ahead, making their way through the grass by the side of the road. It occurs to you that you ought to be keeping a better eye on those two, you hadn’t even known they’d gotten as far as Asgore’s house. You can't really blame them for getting bored around the farm though, after living there most of their lives they’ve explored the whole of it.

“Hurry up!” Jo calls from a few yards in front of you, both they and Laurel standing in Asgore’s driveway.

“Just give me a second!” You huff, picking up the pace to reach them.

The walk up Asgore’s drive is significantly shorter than your own, considering his house isn’t situated deep into the property like yours. In fact, it doesn't appear that he’s got much property at all, just a yard out front and probably some in the back. You realize you’ve never been over here before, you didn’t really get along with the previous owners so there was no reason to visit. You imagine that the yard is better cared for now, only a week into Asgore’s stay and he’s already begun working on the garden.

“Mr. Asgore!” Jo is calling, bypassing the front door to start walking into the backyard.

You follow hesitantly, unsure of just walking into someone else’s yard, but Jo is already greeting someone and you have little choice.

“Ah, young Jo, Laurel! You have returned.” A rumbling voice answers your sibling and you pause to take in the King.

He’s, well, he’s giant. Asgore has to be a good deal over six feet, maybe even seven, and his long horns only add to the initial height. His features are goat like, with a snout and dark, kind eyes and this crazy beard. Maybe the only reason you aren’t immediately terrified of him is the fact that he’s on his knees in a flower bed, wearing a button up Hawaiian shirt and floral gardening gloves. And that he is smiling at your younger sibling with such a look of patient fondness that you can’t help but grin as well.

“And I see I brought someone.” Asgore moves to stand, brushing dirt from his jeans and extending a hand to shake. “Pleasure to meet you, I’m Asgore Dreemur.”

You shake and his hand completely engulfs yours, introducing yourself as well. “I’m the kids’ older sibling, and your next door neighbor.”

“Ah, you did seem a bit young to be their parent.” Asgore admits. “Though I can see the family resemblance.”

Jo grins and Laurel ducks embarrassedly as you reach out to ruffle both of their hair. It’s the same color as your own, and you know that you all have a similar face, though twins are still a bit pudgy with baby fat.

“Have you been settling in alright? The countryside treating you okay?” You ask, trying to mask your genuine curiosity with neighborly pleasantries.

“Oh very!” Asgore seems to light up. “There’s so much room to garden and the air is so fresh. I prefer it to the city, honestly.”

“Jo was telling me that you’re going to be selling your flowers?” You motion to where he had been working.

Asgore nods, smiling gently. “Yes, I always wanted to be a gardener, but...”

He seems sad and you realize that the ‘King of Monsters’ is very different than you expected. Asgore is just a regular guy, albeit a tall one, who has hopes and (dare you think it) dreams of his own. You feel a bit sorry for him suddenly and sorry for doubting his intentions in moving to your little corner of the world.

“Well, you can be one now.” You tell him and that seems to cheer him right back up.

“I haven’t opened up my business yet, but would you like to take some flowers home with you?”

And you immediately feel guilty because aren't you supposed to the one with welcome gifts? You nod all the same and Asgore beams, hurrying inside the backdoor with the assurance that he’ll be back in just a moment.

“I like him.” You admit to Jo who smirks smugly, Laurel giving a little triumphant grin. “As long as he’s alright with you both coming over, I don’t have a problem with you visiting. But be helpful, you hear?”

“Of course.” Jo smiles and Laurel nods seriously.

Asgore’s back outside a moment later, carrying a large blue flower in a pot filled with soil.  

“This is an echo flower, it repeats the last thing said near it.” Asgore explains and passes it over.

You lean your ear towards it and listen as it whispers in a faint, wispy version of Asgore’s voice.

_“This is an echo flower, it repeats the last thing said near it.”_

“That’s incredible!” You exclaim and the flower says it back to you, making you laugh lightly.

“I am glad you like it, I am sure I will have more flowers to share very soon.” And the happy look Asgore gives his garden is almost heartbreakingly tender, because this is probably the first time he’s gotten to live how he wants to.

“Don’t give them all away.” You tease. “I’m sure business will be booming soon. Or maybe, _blooming_?”

Asgore chuckles at your joke, shaking his head as Jo groans loudly and Laurel claps a hand to their face.

“Are you serious?” Jo asks, crossing their arms while Laurel just looks severely disappointed.

You give your siblings a sly wink, then sigh down at your watch when you check the time. “I would love to stay and talk some more, but I’ve got some things to take care of on the farm...”

“Oh that’s perfectly alright, you’ll have to come over for tea sometime and we can chat more then.”

“That would be great.” You tell him and turn to the twins. “You still need to do your chores too, kiddos.”

Jo sighs, their shoulders slumping pitifully as Laurel gives them a consoling pat.

“Don’t worry, you and your siblings are welcome here any time.” Asgore assures them and Jo smiles up at him.

Asgore walks the two of you out to the front of his house and waves as you begin the trip back down the road. Jo is practically skipping with joy and Laurel grins at their twins antics, though they appear to be high spirits as well. You smile, you’ve been doing that a lot today, it seems, and wave them towards the chicken coup when you arrive back home. Danny’s still up on the roof of the barn, though he gives you a big wave before going back to hammering.

Back inside, you sit down at your desk, shoving your reading glasses up your nose and sighing at the stack of bills and paperwork before you. You’re not even halfway through it when you get distracted, thinking about your new neighbor and your younger siblings' fondness for him. Asgore seems nice enough and doesn’t seem to mind your nosy siblings, much less than the previous tenants had, at least.

You can’t help but wonder if the King’s appearance means that more monsters will be arriving in the area soon. That could definitely make life around here more interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'll get to the Sans bits soon I promise. Let me know what you're thinking, otherwise. Oh yeah! The title is from the Decemberist's song by the same name that you should listen to cause it's so Undertale it hurts???
> 
> Also, I have a tumblr, come talk about to me about Undertale~
> 
> http://mazberrypie.tumblr.com/
> 
> (Did a quick edit on 12/17/2015.)


	2. Frisk, The Most Determined and Brave Kid You've Ever Met

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On a trip into town, you and your siblings run into some interesting characters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I meant to post this tomorrow, but I have written way more than I expected. I'm already on the fifth chapter, and if I keep it up, I may end up updating twice a week!

You need to take a trip into town again, you’ve got some things to pick up at the feed store and hopefully the shop that buys your produce will be able to take some eggs off your hands. Generally, you make the drive by yourself and have Danny take care of the kids. But you’ve noticed that the twins have been antsy lately. Even with Asgore to entertain them, they’re still looking for a way off the farm, so you decide to load everyone into the truck and take them with you.

There are kids running around the playground when you arrive in town, and you can see Jo squirming in their seat. Laurel seems significantly less interested in the other kids, but you know if you send Jo off, Laurel is sure to follow.

“Go ahead, I’ll be a bit so go play.”

That’s all it takes to send Jo launching out of the car, dragging a sighing Laurel along with them. You watch a moment, Jo already pulling some other kids into a game of tag, before going about your business.

You stop by the feed store first, picking up some grit for the chickens and a few extra bales of hay. Harry, the manager, has a few new employees that he appears to be training, one of them a cat monster, and he has them carry the hay to the bed of your truck. You’re sure to thank them all equally, causing the monster to give you a wide, appreciative smile in return. It’s a bit sad to think that he isn't used to this kind of treatment.

Next is the shop and luckily the owner is feeling generous today, because she buys all the eggs off you and the hole left in your pocket from the feed store feels a little smaller. You still have to buy some non chicken or goat related groceries, however, and leave the shop with more than you probably need. But whatever, the twins are growing kids and you deserve some treats for working hard.

You’re loading things into your truck when you hear the laughter, and it sends your teeth on edge. It’s not the happy laugh of kids playing, but rather the cruel cackle that always seems to accompany bullying.

There’s a circle of teens near the park, and it doesn’t look like they’ve got Jo or Laurel, but they’re definitely picking on _somebody_. You hesitate, just a moment, but when you hear an angry voice yelling from inside the circle, you begin moving before you can even process it.

They’ve surrounded two kids, a monster and a human. The monster is fairly reptilian and doesn’t seem to have arms, though their tail is swishing in a way that reminds you of the barn cats when they’re fighting. The human is stand by them, brows furrowed as they stare at the teens.

“Why don’t you cry for help, freak?” One of the teens taunts and the kid jerkily signs something at them, which sort of explains the insult.

You straighten your shoulders and try to appear as tall and menacing as you can before you call out. “What exactly is going on here?”

The teens seem surprised by your intervention, which speaks volumes as to how they’ve been allowed to act up to this point. Which is probably pretty awfully. Both the human child and the monster kid are watching you, two parts wary and one part hopeful. It looks like the human has a split lip and scraped up arms, and the monster has a eye that looks well on it’s way to brusing. You turn to the teens again, feeling angrier.

You recognize one of them and decided to use that to your advantage. “Brendan Smith, why don’t you and your little gang run along before I decide to have a word with your parents about all this?”

Brendan’s eyes widen and he seems to curl in on himself a little bit.

“Let’s get out of here.” He tugs on the nearest two teens’ arms before they’re all scurrying off.

You watch them go, making sure they’re actually gone before turning to the kids.

“Hey, are you two alright?”

The human nods, touching a hand to their chin and pulling it away. You silently thank the twins for watching Blue’s Clues as they grew up because you recognize the gesture.

“You’re welcome, but I shouldn’t have had to help in the first place. Those teens know better than to pick on other kids.” You frown after the teens, then glance back to them. “I’ve got a first aid kit in my car, do you want me to help out with some of those cuts?”

The human looks back the monster kid questioningly.

“Y-yo, that would be alright...” The monster kids tells you and you give them an encouraging smile.  

“Alright, gimme just one sec.”

You turn towards the playground, making out your siblings in the distance. “Jo, Laurel! Come here for a minute!”

The twins run up towards up, Jo looking put out until the exact moment they catch sight of the kids next to you and their expression completely changes.

“Whoa! Where you guys in a fight?” Jo practically jumps the poor kids. “That’s sick! Who won?”

“We did bro!” The monster kid pipes up, seemingly more relaxed around other children. “They totally ran away!”

“Dude!”

“Right?!”

The two start talking at a mile a minute and you shake your head with a laugh, guiding all four towards your truck. Laurel has grabbed onto your arm and is staring at the human child, eyes narrowed like they’re trying to solve a great mystery. You recognize their Thinking Face and let them puzzle it out for themself. It’s not until you’re reaching into the glove compartment for the first aid kit that they seem to realize.

“Oh. You’re Frisk.” Laurel says, and it’s not a question but rather an observation.

The kid, _Frisk_ , nods and you blink at them. Cause yeah, you know them too. They’d been on TV as much as Asgore, if not more, as the ambassador for all monsters. It’s like you can’t walk two steps in this area without running into some sort of monster celebrity. Which was strange, considering you leave near a fairly small town. For all these political figures to gravitate _here_ of all places is odd.

“Uh.” You say, still staring, before you remember that you’re supposed to be tending to these kids wounds and pull open the first aid kit. “Frisk, can you take a seat on the bed of the truck?”

Once you’ve pulled down the hatch, you situate both kids on it and set to work. Laurel helps, passing you iodine and gauze. Jo helps too, in their own way, keeping both kids distracted as you clean the worst of the cuts. Frisk winces when you put some ointment on their lip, but other than that doesn’t react much. You even manage to get a little bit of coconut oil around the monster kid’s eye, it works for chickens so you figure it probably can’t hurt to try it out.

Soon everyone’s all bandaged up and the kids have gone back to talking while you put away your supplies.

“So, I’m not sure how I feel about you two walking home alone after all that...” You admit to Frisk, who's been watching you closely the whole time. “Would you like me to give you a ride?”

Frisk studies you a moment more, their eyes searching your expression before they give you a small, sweet smile and a nod.

“Okay, uh great!” You’re a bit thrown by their change in demeanor. “Jo and...I don’t think I ever got your name, actually.”

“It’s Monster Kid, but you can call me Kid! Or MK, or whatever!” They tell you and you laugh lightly.

“Alright, Kid then. I’m going to give you and Frisk a ride home, just to make sure you get there safe. Is that okay with you?”

“Yo, that’s cool! It means I get to hang out with Jo more!” They smile at your sibling who beams back widely.

“Well alright then, everybody hop in.”

You get Frisk, Jo and Kid into the backseat, Laurel electing to sit up front with you. Kid gives you directions through town to their house, which is near Frisk’s, as it turns out. Kid’s parents thank you profusely when you walk them up to the door, and you shake it off, telling them it was just the right thing to do. They offer to have Jo and Laurel over sometime at Kid’s instance, so you exchange numbers and wave as they take their kiddo inside.

Next up is Frisk’s house, and all three of you walk them up to the door this time. You give it a knock, waiting for just a moment before the door opens to reveal...another goat monster?

This one, you notice, is a lot prettier than Asgore. Not that Asgore isn’t attractive, in his goat monster-y dad sort of way, but the woman at the door is elegant in a way Asgore is not. Her pretty blue blouse and flowery skirt makes you feel a bit inferior wearing a ratty pair of jeans and a coat that’s lived through more than a few winters. She looks between you and the twins, appearing confused for a moment before her eyes fall on Frisk and she gasps in shock.

“Oh Frisk, my child what has happened?” She gathers them into a hug and you decide that anyone who can hug like that is probably a pretty amazing person.

When she releases Frisk, you stick out a hand to shake and introduce yourself. “Hi. I ran into some teens harassing Frisk and Kid and intervened. They were a little beat up so I cleaned up their cuts, but none of them seemed too bad.”

“Thank you so much.” She takes you hand in both of hers, looking a little teary eyed and you feel your face get hot. “I’m Toriel, Frisk’s mother. I can’t tell you how grateful I am.”

“It’s no problem really.” You shake you head to clear it and smile. “I’m just glad I got there before anything too awful happened.”

“Yes, I am as well.” Toriel looks down at Frisk, who is still hugging her side and ruffles their hair. “What do you say, dear?”

Frisk signs another ‘thank you’.

“You’re welcome kiddo, be careful alright?”

They nod and then tug on Toriel’s skirt, signing something too fast for you to understand.

“Ah. Frisk would like to know if you and your siblings would like to come over for dinner sometime? As a thank you, for helping.” Toriel gives her child a fond smile. “I think that’s a wonderful idea, Frisk.”

“Oh.” You blink, surprised. “Well-”

“Yes! We would!” Jo interrupts, jumping in front of you.

“We’d like that very much, Miss Toriel.” Laurel adds, nudging your arm lightly.

Toriel’s expression softens as she takes in the two of them. “What are your names, young ones?”

“This is Laurel!” Jo points to their twin.

“And Jo.” Laurel points back, rolling their eyes slightly.

“Well, Laurel, Jo, it is nice to meet both of you. Frisk and I would love to have you over for dinner anytime, as long as your sibling is alright with it.”

Both Laurel and Jo turn to you with expectant looks and you sigh good naturedly. “I’m sure that wouldn't be a problem.”

“Let us exchange numbers then! So we can arrange it.”

You get your second number of the day and Toriel promises to call soon to set up a night for dinner at their place. Both Frisk and Toriel wave you off as you get back into the truck and begin the drive home.

Jo and Laurel are leaning on each other in the backseat, looking tired from the unexpectedly eventful day. Jo seems to have actually fallen asleep but Laurel remains vigilant, staring out the window absently.

“How are you holding up, Laurel?” You watch them in the review.

“Alright.” They shrug with the shoulder not holding up Jo. “I just was wondering...”

Laurel pauses and you let them gather their thoughts a moment.

“Wondering?” You prompt when they don’t say anything for a few minutes.

“Kid and Frisk were really nice and I just don’t know why anyone would want to hurt them.” Laurel admits, looking rather torn up about it.

Sucking in a breath through your teeth, you look back towards the road. “A lot of people are afraid of things they don’t understand. Like Kid being a monster or Frisk using sign language to speak.”

“By then why did they hurt them? Why not run away if they were scared?” Laurel sounds almost angry now.

“Not everyone runs away when they’re afraid. They think that they have to ‘face their fear’ and for most people, that means fighting it.”

“Frisk was scared and they didn’t fight.” Laurel huffs. “They told me.”

You blink, trying to think of a moment when the two could have talked. Or how, you are pretty sure Laurel doesn’t know any sign. “Uh-?”

“While you were treating Kid’s eye, Frisk told me that they were scared when the teens came for them, but they didn’t want to leave Kid and they didn’t want to hurt anyone. So they just refused to fight and refused to leave.”

You whistle lightly. “Well, not everyone is as brave as Frisk, though I think we could all stand to be.”

“Hmm.” Laurel hums and then is silent.

You glance in the mirror to see that they’ve nodded off too, head propped up on Jo’s. Letting loose a little sigh, your shoulders slump and you shake your head. That had gotten...unexpectedly heavy. Though, Laurel has always had a fairly inquisitive nature, but also had the innocence to not really understand others’ behavior very well. It seemed like they and Frisk were getting along, that might help them come out of their shell a bit.

But damn, Frisk. That kid is really something else. The way they had watched you had been almost calculating, but as soon as they decided they liked you, they were amiable, sweet even. And the whole ‘not fighting but not running either’ thing. That took guts, determination. Not that you expected any less from the monster’s ambassador. They would have to be pretty brave to deal with the press and politicians and the like.

You shake your head lightly, laughing slightly. Kids these days, they are something else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case it's confusing, this fic is gonna be linear, I'm just trying something a little different with the timing. Generally, I write almost every moment, or jump to other moments within a chapter. But I've been writing a lot less breaks and making it more like, one part of a day, rather than jumping around through that day. I hope that makes sense!
> 
> Also, holy smokes the response to this fic was way bigger than I was expecting? Thank so much for the kind comments and the kudos, they're what keeps me motivated to write!
> 
> http://mazberrypie.tumblr.com/
> 
> (Edited 12/17/2015.)


	3. Toriel, Resident Heart Breaker, Apparently

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While visiting Asgore's house, you learn something...interesting about Goat Mom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa there Maz, another chapter already? Are you sure you're gonna be able to keep up with this schedule?
> 
> Honestly? No. I'm currently going on the schedule of 'post a chapter when the one after it is done' but I hope to update Tuesdays and Fridays? Don't hold me to that friends, if you follow any of my other fics you know I am not very good at keeping to regular updates.

“What kind of tea would you like? I have earl grey, double bergamot, green chai, lemon with ginger, lemon without ginger, golden flower, raspberry, peach, chamomile, darjeeling, licorice, peppermint, sleepy time and tension tamer.”

“Uh, I didn’t know there were that many kinds of tea...” You chuckle, scratching at your arm. “I’ll have...golden flower.”

“Ah, my favorite.” Asgore’s voice carries from the kitchen and you can hear the clank of china and the click of the electric kettle.

Jo and Laurel are sitting on the floor in front of you, each with a photo album in their lap and half empty mugs of tea. They’d gone over to Asgore’s house before you actually, running home to see if you would like to join them for some quality time with the King. You couldn’t really turn down the offer, especially seeing as it was coming from your sweet and persuasive siblings, so now you find yourself in his living room.

Asgore has furnished his new house cozily, there are big, plush chairs in the living room and lots of pictures and flowers. He had told you when you had arrived that he had decorated it similarly to his house in the Underground, and the one he had once shared with his ex wife.

Jo is tapping your knee just as Asgore comes back into the room with your tea. You lift one finger to them as you take the mug from him and take a little sip. It’s perfect, not too hot or too cold, just the right amount of honey without you even having to tell him how much you want.

“Mmm, this is good.” You hum, giving Asgore a smile and then turning to Jo. “What’s up?”

“Look, it’s Frisk!” Jo pushes the picture into your face, pointing at the one they’re talking about eagerly. “Right here, see?”

It is indeed Frisk, the young Ambassador to the monsters who you just met the other day. This picture features Frisk and Asgore, the later looks a bit embarrassed as the child beams up at him. It’s a familiar grin, the same smile they’d given you when you offered them a ride home. Sweet but also a bit mysterious, like they know something you don’t.

Asgore is wearing a sweater in the picture that says “Mr. Dad Guy” that has you raising an eyebrow. You suppose it makes sense that the King and the Ambassador would be close, seeing as they likely have to work together often. But the sweater looks worn, even in the picture, and you doubt it’s from Frisk.

Asgore takes a seat in his own cushiony recliner and you turn the picture to him. “Mr. Dad Guy?”

“Ah.” His expression becomes wistful, sad even. “Yes, one of my children made me that.”

“You have kids?” Laurel murmurs, staring up from their own photo album.

“I did once, young one, a very long time ago.” And that’s all he has to say for the three of you to understand.

“I see.” And you don’t offer an apology, because you know it doesn’t do much when you’ve lost someone.

Jo and Laurel go back to their books, Laurel looking a little embarrassed at bringing up a touchy subject. You go back to your tea, noticing that Asgore seems to be lost in thought now. He doesn’t look so sad anymore, just thoughtful. Asgore doesn’t appear too affected by the mention of his loss, though you know that sort of thing can stick with you long after you’ve “gotten over it”.

“Oh, it’s Toriel.” Laurel says, showing you another picture, this one of Frisk’s mother, who’s hugging her child and smiling, happy and wide.

“Wow, yeah it is.” You nod and turn back to Asgore, who has gotten decidedly sweaty.

“You, uh, you know Tori?” Asgore fidgets in his seat, looking less like the kind and patient man you’ve known him to be and a bit more like a ball of anxiety.

“Yes, me and the twins met her just a couple of days ago. We went in town to pick up some stuff and ran into Frisk and Kid. A couple of teens were harassing them, so I sent them off and took them both home.” As you tell the story, Asgore’s expression grows a little stony.

“That does seem to be something that happens often.” He’s frowning. “A lot of younger monsters have been being bullied.”

“I don’t think that anyone should hurt Kid or Frisk.” Laurel mutters almost under their breath, sounding mad as well. “They didn’t do anything wrong, who cares that they’re a little different?”

Asgore’s expression softens as he looks at your sibling. “Laurel, it is children like you who will help monsters be accepted on the surface.”

Laurel ducks their head, turning red in blotchy patches across their cheeks, while Jo pipes up as well.

“Well, I think that too!”

Asgore gives a hearty laugh, and goes onto assure Jo that they are important to monster’s acceptance as well and you smile into your tea cup. Asgore is right though, children don’t tend to care too much about what other’s look like before they’re pushed to by society, all they want is someone to play with and give them affection. For most, it doesn’t matter to them if their playmate has no arms or is covered in scales.

You blink back into the moment when you hear Asgore calling your name, giving you a slightly concerned look.

“I’m alright, just zoning out.” You wave him off. “Actually, I was wondering how _you_ know Toriel?”

Asgore begins sweating again and Laurel is giving him a knowing look that you can’t quite decipher.

“Well, I-I mentioned that I decorated this house similarly to my one in the Underground....and that one was styled after the one I share with my ex w-wife....” Asgore trails off and you realize.

“ _Oh_.” Yikes. That’s... “That’s, uh, rough.”

Asgore nods miserably and his expression almost is enough to make you crack up because it’s just so _pitiful_ , but you restrain yourself on behalf of your new friend. But yeah, no wonder Asgore reacted the way he did because Toriel is....well, _Toriel_. You’d only interacted with her for like, three minutes, and you already were just tiny bit in love with her. You would be surprised if you encountered someone who had met her and didn’t have an immediate crush on her. So, yeah. Yikes.

“A-Anyways, our divorce wasn’t exactly...pleasant...but we’ve been making an effort to get along better recently. I think it helps that Frisk is so adamant to keep me around, even after... everything that happened.”

You give him a questioning look, but Asgore doesn’t look like he’s inclined to elaborate. Everyone only knows the bare bones of what had happened in the Underground. The story that the people were told was that Frisk had fallen into the Underground and befriended the majority of the monsters there, and through some means broke down the barrier that was containing them. That was basically all that was made public.

You can’t deny that you are...curious. There definitely seems to be more that happened then is being let on, and from Asgore’s hinting it seems pretty serious. But you know better than to push. Besides, if you were going to be hanging out with the monsters as frequently as you had in the last week, the truth would come out eventually.

“Who are the other people in this picture?” Jo asks suddenly, holding up a wide group shot to the King. You lean over as well to see.

“Ah, this is Undyne, she was my head of the Royal Guard, and Dr Alphys, my Royal Scientist and Undyne’s girlfriend.” He says while pointing to a muscular fish lady and a smaller, reptilian woman. “Then we have Mettaton, an entertainment robot of Alphys’ making.”

The robot is posing dramatically, looking at Undyne and Alphys hug with a decidedly smug expression.

“And then there’s the skeleton brothers, Sans and Papyrus.” Asgore motions to the last two, a tall lanky skeleton in a strange uniform and a shorter and somehow chubby one who’s wearing a blue hoodie and some gym shorts. The taller is staring at the shorter with an enraged expression, and the shorter’s wearing a huge shit-eating grin, like he just told the best joke in the world.

“Wait, Sans and Papyrus? Like...the font?” You frown, looking closer at the two.

“Yes, well. I assume their parents had a strange sense of humor. Though no one is quite sure where the two came from, or where their parents are.”

“That’s alright!” Jo says cheerily. “We don’t know where our parents are either!”

You freeze, and you notice Laurel glancing at Jo in a horrified way, but for whatever reason, Asgore doesn’t look too surprised.

“Well, you have your siblings, don’t you? And the boys have each other. Everyone has turned out fine, haven’t they?” Asgore gives Jo a gentle smile.

“Mhmm!” Jo hums, though they’re looking at Laurel with a concerned expression. It’s almost funny to you, how Jo can be blissfully unaware of most things, but is always able to tell when something is wrong with their twin.

Laurel looks panicked still, and you stand and move to their spot on the ground. You take a seat by Laurel and Jo and pull them both in.

“We all turned out alright, yeah?” You ask them and Jo nods eagerly while Laurel gives a little shrug. “You alright Laur?”

“....yeah.” Laurel allows eventually, little hands twisting in their lap. “It’s just....”

“I know.” You rub their shoulder, then roll over onto your belly on the floor. “Let me look at one of those.”

You joining them on the floor seems to put Laurel at ease and they lay the album between the two of you, so you can both see. The three of you laugh at some of the candids, taken mostly by Frisk, according to Asgore. There’s a lot of the skeleton brothers, you notice, the taller one gesturing grandly and the smaller one always smiling. You never caught whose name was whose, so you’re not sure which is Sans and which is Papyrus. Though, if you had to guess, the shorter one seems to match the goofier typeface, while the taller gives off a grand, though still rather silly, vibe.

There’s a particularly good picture of Undyne and Papyrus cooking, both covered in bits of tomato and the former stirring a pot of noodles at an alarming speed. Alphys is in the background, looking concerned and harried while Sans has one eye closed, leaning over to tell the lizard woman something. You briefly wonder how a _skeleton_ can close their eyes, but decide not to dwell on it. Magic seemed to be the answer to most of your questions about monsters. Magic and a whole lot of weird.

Eventually, it occurs to you that you need to get back to the farm. Dragging two put out kiddos with you, you thank Asgore for having you over (and for the amazing tea) at the door.

“Oh, wait! I have something for you!” Asgore seems to remember, running off into the house before returning with another potted flower. “This is a glowing buttercup, if you brush the petals it will light up.”

You try, skimming your fingers over the soft petals of the flower, and the buttercup begins to glow slightly. “Whoa. But, I can’t take this, you have to start your business!”

“It’s alright, I’ve never been too keen on selling my flowers anyway. Really, if I didn’t need money, I’d just give all of them away.” Asgore passes you the pot, not letting you argue, before waving you out the door.

Jo has already gone up ahead but Laurel hung back, surprisingly, and is watching you with narrowed eyes.

“Are you and Asgore dating?” They ask and you nearly drop the buttercup.

“What?” You sputter and begin quickly walking up the drive. “No, why would you think that?”

“I thought you only gave flowers to people you like.” Laurel sounds a bit confused as they tag along, short legs hurrying to match your pace.

“No, Laur. Asgore and I are just friends.” You tell them and they almost seem...disappointed.

“Well, would you date a monster?” Laurel asks and Jo gives the two of you a confused look, having not heard the first part of the conversation.

“Yeah, if I liked them.” You immediately reply, not really having to think about it. “I don’t really care that much about that sort of thing.”

Laurel makes their Thinking Face, scrunching up their nose a little and considering you. Jo bumps their arm, and you don’t like the sly look they share.

“Don’t you two start getting any ideas. I don’t need you finding me a monster boyfriend or girlfriend or whatever.” You frown, holding the flower close to your chest. “I’ve got enough on my plate already without a partner, thank you very much.”

“We didn’t say anything.” Jo protests, too innocently, and you roll your eyes.

“ _Sure_.”

Despite their alleged innocence, the twins are now whispering to each other and glancing at you, up until you get home and send them off to wash up before dinner. You just know they're going to try something, but figure you’ll let them have their fun for the moment. It’s not like they’re gonna find anyone, right?

...

Right?  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, you finally know that Sans exists. That's a start, right? Now you just need to find that skele and DATE THE HECK OUT OF HIM.
> 
> http://mazberrypie.tumblr.com/
> 
> (Edited 12/17/2015.)


	4. Jo and Laurel, Bad at Math and Bad at Matchmaking, Respectively

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get a call from Toriel and finally set up that dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowie, I'm maintaining my schedule. I actually just finished writing chapter 5 as well, and it's a little longer to make up for this chapter being a tad shorter.

You startle awake to the sound of Jo calling your name, nearly slipping from your seat. You’d fallen asleep at your desk again, glasses pressing hard into your nose and papers wrinkled from the place your head had been laying. With a sigh and a pained stretch, you stand up and head towards the stairs.

The twin’s room is in the attic, because it’s the biggest space and you wanted to give them an area of their own. You used to just store random things up there, but when the twins moved in you had it redone. Every change went through them first, Jo picking a bright green paint for half the walls and Laurel a calming lavender to even out the rest. They decorated with posters, and strings of lights, they even have a little entertainment area with a TV and DVD players and a game system or two. It’s pretty cool up there, actually, something you would have wanted growing up.

Laurel is at the TV when you arrive, curled in a bean bag and playing some indie RPG game off the WII while Jo lies in their bed, surrounded by pillows and stuffed animals. They’re doing something school related, their math textbook in front of them while they glare at it angrily.

“Did you already finish your homework Laurel?” You raise an eyebrow and they nod, motioning to their desk. There’s a pile of finished work sheets there that you’ll have to check over.

“Alright, what was it you needed Jo?” You plop down on their bed, pulling a stuffed tiger into your lap.

“I don’t understand this question.” They’re frowning at the page, pointing to one in particular. “The book doesn’t ever explain how to solve it.”

Taking the textbook into your hands, you frown as well. It’s been awhile since you’ve done this level of math and all the numbers and letters are confusing.

“Alright, let’s see what we can do.” You grab a piece of scratch paper and a pen.

Eventually, the two of you figure it out, with a bit of help from Laurel. You end up laying on Jo’s bed, stretched out while they finish the last of their work and then shut their textbook with a slam.

“I’m done!” Jo cries, dropping their head onto your stomach and making you grunt.

“Jeez kid, careful with that thing.” You poke their forehead, causing them to giggle up at you. “What do you guys want for dinner?”

“Grilled cheese.” Laurel says immediately, not even bothering to look up from their game.

You give a half hearted eye roll. “I’m pretty sure you can’t live off grilled cheese alone, bucko.”

Laurel mutters something that sounds suspiciously like “ _I can try_ ” and you huff a laugh. “Jo, what say you?”

“Well,” Jo sits up, gesturing grandly. “I declare that we shall have...uh....french dips?”

“That works.” You nod and toss a pillow at a complaining Laurel. “Oh stop whining. It’s got cheese on it, it’s practically grilled cheese.”

Giving a little salute to your siblings, you take the stairs two at a time back down to the kitchen. You’re feeling more energetic now, which is good, because you can’t get away with falling asleep over a pot of boiling broth. The roast beef is in the fridge and you grab some rolls and toss them on the counter.

You’re just getting the broth started when your cell starts ringing, and you pull it out and answer, balancing it between your ear and your shoulder.

“Hello?” You hadn’t checked the number when answering.

“ _Hello! This is Toriel, Frisk’s mother? We met the other day._ ”

You straighten, grabbing the phone with your hand so it doesn’t drop. “Oh, hi! How are you?” 

“ _I am doing quite well, how about yourself?_ ”

“I’m alright, just getting dinner started.” You pull a whisk out of the drawer, catching the phone with your shoulder again so you can work.

“ _Oh, is this a bad time? I can call back later..._ ”

“Nah, I can multitask.” You assure her, and turn on the stove. “So, um.”

“ _Yes, right. I was just calling to arrange that dinner we discussed._ ”

Grabbing a knife and the rolls, you start cutting and buttering it all. “Right, right.”

“ _I was wondering if tomorrow would work for you, or if that would be too short notice. We are having some friends over that night, and I know they’d love to meet you and Jo and Laurel. Frisk has told them all about your little rescue._ ”

“Wow, um.” You consider it a moment, holding the knife over the roll you’ve been working on. “Yeah, sure! I think that would be fine. Laurel’s pretty shy around new people, but as long as Jo and I are there, they should be alright.”

“ _Oh that’s wonderful! I’ll tell everyone you’re coming. Ah, Frisk is inviting Kid over too, they were saying they and Jo got along rather well._ ”

“Yeah, Jo’s been talking about wanting to hang out with them and Frisk. I’ll let them know in a bit. Hey, is there anything I need to bring? It sounds like a big get together, and I don’t want to leave all the cooking to you.”

“ _Ah, well. Papyrus is bringing some spaghetti, as usual, and Undyne said something about making a cake, though I’m not sure how well that will turn out. But if there is something you’d like to bring I’d be glad to have it._ ”

“Papyrus and Undyne?” You ask, blinking and pausing in front of the toaster oven, where a roll is being toasted. “Uh, would Sans and Dr. Alphys happen to becoming?”

“ _Yes! And Mettaton as well I think. He said he was bringing his cousin, but they’re a ghost so they’re bring their own...food...._ ” You could hear Toriel trailing off, and you’re still a little caught up on the whole ‘ghost’ cousin when she continues. “ _Uh, if you don’t mind me asking, how do you know Sans and Alphys_?”

“I don’t, actually, but my neighbor does. The twins and I were over at his house the other day, and he was showing us some photo albums.” You explain, moving back to the stove and Toriel is silent for a moment.

“ _So, you’ve met my ex-husband then._ ” Her voice isn’t quite...steely, but it is slightly harsher than her usual tone.

You choke, almost dropping the whisk you’re holding. She’s right, but how did she figure it out?

“Um. How do you figure?”

“ _Well, Asgore was over here the other day, discussing some things with Frisk. He mentioned that he had a nice new neighbor, with some siblings around Frisk’s age. That would be you, I suppose?_ ”

“Ha, uh, guilty as charged.” You can practically feel yourself sweating, and it’s not from the heat of the broth. “Though, if it makes any difference, I didn’t know he was your ex when I met you.”

“ _Oh, don’t misunderstand dear! I’m not angry. It’s strange how small the world is for us monsters, even on the surface._ ” Toriel sounds a bit sad and you get the sudden urge to comfort her.

“Well, it does seem to be expanding. And this is a pretty small area after all...”

“ _Yes, I suppose it is. I know many monsters who have gone to the cities, but Frisk and I are just more comfortable in rural community._ ”

“Same here. I used to live in the city, but I had to get away from it all.” You drop in the meat as the broth begins to boil.

_“Really? Forgive me, but you seem more at one with the country folk, no?_ ” Her voice has gone back to normal and she’s dropped off into the strangely formal speech again. You take that as a good sign.

“Oh definitely. The city was too crowded for me, too smoky and busy. I like the slower lifestyle out here, and it seems to be good for the twins too.”

“ _Ah, yes. They both seem so sweet. I am excited to talk with them more._ ”

“I’m sure they are too.” Everything is finishing up on the stove and you switch ears. “Dinner is almost done, would you mind if we continued talking tomorrow?”

“ _Of course! I apologize for keeping you on the phone so long. It’s been awhile since I’ve had someone new to talk to. We will see you tomorrow, then?_ ”

“Yep, with some sort of food too.” You confirm, grabbing some plates from the cupboard. “Looking forward to it.”

“ _As are Frisk and I. Take care, dear._ ”

“You too.”

The both of you hang up and you tuck your phone back in your pocket. “Jo! Laurel! Dinner!”

Surprisingly, instead of hearing their steps on the stairs, both kids emerge from the living room looking slightly sheepish. You narrow your eyes.

“Were you eavesdropping?”

“No!” Jo argues while Laurel nods their head with a “Yes.”

You sigh as Jo turns to Laurel, looking betrayed, and pass out the food. “Really?”

“We were just curious...” Laurel starts layering cheese on their sandwich, foregoing the broth.

With a shake of your head you begin eating as well, letting the kids get some food in before telling them about the plan.

“So we’re going to Toriel’s tomorrow. She’s invited some other friends, all the people we talked about at Asgore’s house plus some. Is that alright with you?”

You’ve mainly directed that at Laurel who gives you a short nod. “Yeah.”

“So, what you’re saying is,” Jo clarifies, “there are going to be a lot of monsters?”

“Yes?”

“Cool! Is Kid gonna be there?” Jo asks.

“Yeah, Toriel said Frisk was having them over.”

“Sweet!” Jo begins shoveling food in their mouth like it will bring tomorrow faster.

You snort, then turn to see Laurel looking at you, calculatingly. “What?”

“A house full of monsters, huh?” They nudge Jo, whose eyes go wide and bug-like.

“Oh no.”  

Neither of the twins had brought up the whole “dating a monster” thing since coming back from Asgore’s. But now they were presented with the perfect opportunity to set you up with someone. Specifically, a monster someone.  

“No playing matchmaker!” You declare, putting down your sandwich. “That didn’t work when you tried to get me with Danny and it won’t work now.”   
  
Both kids shrink at the reminder of their failed attempt to set you up with your second in command, but Laurel still looks determined.

“We’ll see.” They shrugged innocently. “It’s not playing matchmaker if you like someone by yourself, right?”

Knowing you won’t be able to dissuade them, you huff quietly and go back to eating. The twins do as well, remaining silent for a little while. You think the subject may be dropped for now, and hopefully they’ll forget by tomorrow.

“So....Toriel’s pretty cute right?” Jo says suddenly.

“Stop!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you see that? In the distance? Could it be...the promise of more characters? And...Sans? How can this be?!
> 
> Next chapter is the dinner, and should be up on Tuesday!
> 
> I also just wanted to do another quick thank you. We've passed 250 kudos and are nearing 300, and I was not expecting this kind of reaction at all. Thank you for reading and giving me feedback, or just dropping a comment to talk about the story and characters. I appreciate it so much and I'm glad you all seem to be enjoying my silly little brain child so far!
> 
> http://mazberrypie.tumblr.com/


	5. Undyne, Queen of Uncomfortable Discussions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's finally time to have dinner at Toriel's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the random hiatus guys, I had a hard time writing this chapter and the one after it for some reason, but I'm pretty happy with how it's turned out.

“Are you two ready?” You call up the stairs, staring in the bathroom mirror and straightening your shirt a bit.

Toriel had told you that dinner wasn’t going to be very fancy when you texted to ask. That doesn’t mean you’re going to show up in your usual clothes, generally consisting of old jeans and worn sweatshirts. Instead, you’re wearing a crisp flannel button up over a dark tee shirt, and a new pair of light wash jeans. Your muck boots have been exchanged for dressier (and cleaner) shoes. Somehow, you managed to tame your hair into something presentable, and your face is clean and fresh. Overall, you look pretty good.

The sound of the twins stomping down into the entryway grabs your attention, and you pop your head out the bathroom to see Jo digging around in the shoe pile desperately.

“Do you know where my other shoe is?” They’ve got only one sneaker on their feet, the other one apparently missing.

“Did you check the backdoor-?” You’ve barely finished speaking when they’re running off again, movements awkward due to their uneven footing.

You sigh and feel a tug at your arm, turning to see Laurel holding your sleeve.

“Can you get me a scarf?” Laurel points to the front hall closet

Giving them a nod, you grab a stool and open the door. All the winter things are kept in a basket on the top shelf in the closet, so that Laurel can’t get away with wearing their scarves all year round and risk overheating. It’s a good plan, except the shelf is just a little too tall for you to reach on your own. You’re just about to grab the basket when a long arm shoots out behind you, taking it off the shelf before you can.

“Thanks Danny.” You hop off the stool, only slightly sarcastic.

“No prob, Boss!” He grins, and pulls out a rainbow scarf from the top of the basket. “This one alright Laurey?”

Laurel nods, then lets Danny drap the scarf over their shoulders, spinning them around until they’re wrapped up completely. They wobble and Jo returns only to giggle at the sight of their sibling stumbling, tugging on Danny until he does the same for them. Soon, both kids are wrapped up in scarves and mittens and coats, waddling out to the truck while laughing and bumping into each other.

You snort as you watch them go, tugging your own scarf out of Danny’s hands before he decides to try the same thing with you. There’s a blueberry crumble you made with the twins on the counter, which you grab before heading out the front door, Danny trailing behind you.

“Are you sure you’ve got everything covered here?” You ask Danny.

“Yep! Don’t worry about it, Chief!” Danny follows you out to the truck, opening the driver’s side door for you and letting you hop in before closing it.

“Have a good time at your dinner thing!” He yells to be heard through the glass, waving his arms a bit wildly.

“We will.” You chuckle lightly, turning up the heat and glancing back at your siblings. “You two ready?”

“Yes!” Jo exclaims while Laurel merely nods.

Laughing again, you pull out of your driveway and onto the road. The city isn’t very far, ten minutes tops (but that's only if you get trapped behind a tractor along the country road...). Soon, you and the twins are within the town limits, both of them looking out the window as if it’s the first time they’ve ever been in town.

“Are we there yet?” Jo asks after five minutes.

“Cool your jets, we just got here.” You glance at them in the review, giving them a little smile to soften the reprimand.

It’s easy to tell they’re just excited, their enthusiasm coming out in squirming and staring between the window, you and Laurel. Laurel is shifting uneasily, but they look excited too. You had a talk with them the night before about being able to leave whenever they needed too, if they got too uncomfortable with all the people or anything you could just pack up and go. But they seemed pretty determined to stay the whole dinner.

You’ve just started pulling into Frisk and Toriel’s neighborhood when Jo starts literally bouncing in their seat, tugging on their seatbelt like they want it off. Once you’ve pulled into the driveway, Jo is already reaching for the door when you click on the child safety locks.

“Hang on there, we need to have a Talk.” You raise your eyebrow, turning to look at both of your siblings.

Jo shrinks back in their seat, looking slightly nervous at the mention of a Talk, and Laurel nods like they were expecting it.

“Okay, usual rules. Be polite, say please and thank you, don’t go digging through their stuff.” You cast Laurel a pointed look and they shrug in a way that says ‘ _that was one time_ ’. “But also, be considerate, and understand that these people are used to a very different kind of life than we are, alright?”

“Is that all?” Jo’s hand twitches by the door.

“That’s all.” You flip the locks and both kids shoot of the the car, surprising you slightly while you take a second to grab the tupperware of crumble.

They’ve waited for you before knocking on the door, Jo banging on it louder and more aggressively than you would have if you had a free hand. You can hear someone moving behind the door, and when it swings open you’re expecting Toriel but instead it’s a tall, muscular fish woman. Her bright red hair is pulled up into a ponytail and she wears a black leather jacket with a handkerchief tied round her neck. You recognize her tough expression from the photos at Asgore’s house.

“Oh, Undyne right?” You smile widely and introduce yourself. “...and this is Jo and Laurel.”

Undyne stares you down a moment, like she’s sizing you up, before turning to the twins.

“Which one of you two knocked?” Her voice is low and a little gruff, like she spends a lot of time yelling.

“That was me!” Jo explains, waving their arm excitedly.

Undyne looks at them, her eyes narrowed, before her expression softens slightly. “I like your style kid, come on in.”

Jo marches behind her, following her through the door while you and Laurel stand a moment.   
  
“Do you think that...if Jo hadn’t knocked that loud...she wouldn’t have let us in?” Laurel asks quietly.

You shrug a little helplessly before walking inside with your sibling. The lay out is...eerily similar to Asgore’s house. There’s the same entry way, and a living room to the left while the bedrooms and bathrooms sprawl out to the right. There only difference is the absence of a basement, that area leading out into what looks like a play room instead.

“Ah, you’re here!” Toriel’s voice calls from the living room and you and Laurel follow it. “And you brought something!”

“Yep, I made a blueberry crumble-” Laurel gives a little cough and crosses their arms. “I mean, _Laurel_ made a blueberry crumble, I put it in the oven.”

“How lovely.” Toriel smiles and takes it from you, patting Laurel’s head as she goes by. “I’ll put this in the kitchen for now.”

With your hands free from crumble, you awkwardly drop them to your sides, patting the legs of your jeans. Undyne has mysteriously disappeared, as has Jo, while Laurel is looking around the living room interestedly.

“Can I get you anything to drink?” You hear from the kitchen. “I have water, juice, soda or coffee.”

“Some coffee would be great.” You call back and check with Laurel, who shakes their head. “Laur says they’re alright.”

Toriel comes out with your coffee a moment later, passing it over to you before bustling back into the kitchen. You take a sip and are surprised to find it has the perfect amount of cream and sugar. Though, Asgore’s tea had been the same, so maybe it’s not really that surprising.

“JO!” You hear a sudden shout coming from out in the entryway and nearly drop your mug, turning to see Frisk holding the front door open for Kid.

Jo appears from the playroom, Undyne trailing behind them. “KID!”

The children run at each other and bump heads in a way that’s _almost_ a high five. You wince slightly at the red spot on Jo’s forehead, but they’re beaming at Kid and already talking a mile a minute. Frisk stands nearby, smiling lightly at their friends, before they notice you and Laurel and motion for your sibling to join them. Laurel looks up at you, like they’re asking permission.

“Go on, you don’t have to ask to play.” You nod, rubbing their shoulder before sending them off towards the kids.

All four children run back towards the playroom, and Undyne meanders into the living room.

“So....” She draws out the ow, crossing her buff arms. “Where is the squirts’ other parent?”

“Squirts?” You blink at her and she rolls her eyes.

“The twins.” Undyne clarifies. “Where is their other parent? You can’t exactly make kids by yourself.”

“ _Oh_.” Feeling a bit silly for not realizing, you pick at the hem of your shirt. “They’re not my kids, technically. They’re my younger siblings.”

“Alright, then where are _your_ parents?” She amends, dropping into a plush recliner that looks about the right size for Toriel.

You grab a seat at the dinner table, flipping a chair around so you can face Undyne. “I don’t know. They dropped the twins off at my house for a weekend visit when they were five and never came back.”

“Did you talk to the Guar- police about it?”

“Of course.” You nod and sip at your coffee. Some where in the back of your mind, you wonder how you’ve managed to be dragged into a deeply personal conversation with someone you just met. “They were just...gone.”

Undyne has the good grace to not question further (though apparently doesn’t have the tact to not bring it up in the first place). You realize Dr. Alphys doesn’t seem to be here yet, and you’re just about to ask where she is when Undyne gets a call. She leaps up off the seat, startling you and making you slosh some hot coffee into your lap, and answers it.

“What’s up?” She smiles a moment, before her thin lips tug down into a frown. “No, it’s Maple, not Oak. Where are you?”

Undyne listens for a moment and you watch curiously while dabbing at the coffee on your leg with some napkins.

She heaves an exasperated sigh. “It’s definitely Maple. How do I know? I’m already here! You’ve been here like, ten times, it’s not that hard to find. Uh huh. Uh huh. No! No, no, no, it’s a _right_ at 3rd, no wonder you’re lost. Yeah, okay. See you soon. Bye.”

“Dr. Alphys?” You ask when she hangs up and chucks her phone into the recliner.

“No, Papyrus actually. He insists on driving even though I know Sans could get them here in like, five seconds.” Undyne huffs and you briefly wonder what _that_ means. “Anyways, Alphys is picking up Mettaton and his cousin, but she should be here pretty soon.”

Undyne flops back into the recliner, sinking low before her eyes narrow and she sits up completely. “Wait, how do you know Alphys? And how did you know my name, when you got here?”

“Oh, uh, Toriel didn’t tell you?” You’re a bit surprised that the goat woman hadn’t mentioned it. “I’m neighbors with Asgore.”

“No shit!?” She suddenly shouts, sitting up taller when you nod. “So _you’re_ the cool neighbor he’s been talking about, sick!”

“Yep, that’s me.” Rubbing at your neck embarrassedly you watch as Undyne leans towards you enthusiastically.  
  
“Toriel told me about what you did for Kid and Frisk, that was pretty BA. I’d have done the same for the kiddos. Well, actually, I would have beat those kids up if I was there.” Undyne punches a fist into her hand and you wince slightly.

“Well, I knew some of them, and their parents, and I didn’t really want to have to explain that...”

“Nah, I get it. You’re kind of a wimp.” You sputter at that, frowning. “It’s alright, Frisk is too and they’re the coolest little dude I’ve ever met, so you’re good.”

Feeling like you’ve been accepted by the former Head of the Royal Guard, you listen as she enthusiastically explains how Frisk and her became friends and burnt her house down. Undyne’s halfway through describing how aggressively Frisk threw the spaghetti (and the box?) into the pot when there is a knock at the door.

“I’ll get it!” Undyne shouts and you wonder if that’s what she did when you arrived.

“Alright dear.” Toriel’s slightly exasperated, though still fond voice drifts from the kitchen.

Undyne is already at the door, throwing it open and exclaiming, “Pap!”

“Undyne!” A nasally voice responds. “I found it!”

“I knew you had it in you!” From anyone else, it may have sounded teasing, but Undyne manages to sound completely genuine. “Come in, I have a new friend for you!”

As you expected, Undyne walks the tall skeleton from Asgore’s pictures in, and he’s carrying a big pot of what you assume is spagetti, based off what Toriel had said. He’s wearing that same strange uniform from the picture, though his scarf and gloves look a little worn.  His eyes widen ( _how?_ ) when he sees you, and he hurries to put the pot down on the table and pose grandly. You keep in a chuckle and gaze up at him expectantly.   
  
Undyne introduces you. “They’re the one Toriel was talking about, who saved Frisk and Kid. They’re also buddies with Asgore. And this is-

“I am the Great Papyrus!” He interrupts, motioning to himself. “And seeing as you have saved my friend and befriended Undyne, I shall also be your friend!”

“Well, it’s very nice to meet you Papyrus.” Your laughter is clear in your voice as you speak. Something about the gangly skeleton is so endearing that you can’t help but smile. “I’d be honored to have you as a friend.”

“As you should be!” He exclaims, though also appears to be blushing...somehow... “Now, I will introduce you to my brother, Sans.”

Papyrus looks behind him, then seems startled that no one is there. “Sans?”

“Right here, bro.” A low, smooth voice calls from behind you and you whip around to see a chubby skeleton in Toriel’s chair.  
  
“How did you get there?” Papyrus wonders loudly, before shaking his head. “Sans! This is my new friend, new friend this is my...Sans.”

It’s a bit strange that Sans somehow teleported into the recliner while you weren’t looking. You give him a smile and a wave anyways.

“Hey.” He nods then turns to his brother. “Sorry if I scared you bro, but I know nothing _gets under your skin._ ”

You can practically hear the _badum tiss_ of a drum set and stare blankly at Sans for a moment, trying to figure out if his joke was intentional.

“SANS!” Papyrus screeches, seemingly fighting a smile.

“Hey now, I thought it was pretty _humerus_.” And he turns to you and winks.

The chuckles you’ve been holding down since Papyrus’ arrival burst out and you’re laughing at the little skeleton’s ridiculous joke. Papyrus looks 100% done (and begrudgingly amused) and Undyne is shaking her head, but Sans is smiling at you, pleased.

“See, they don’t think my jokes are that _plaid_.” Sans says, glancing at your flannel and sending you into another round of giggles.

“Sans, I am going to leave without you so you can walk home!” Papyrus is still ranting when Sans looks away and you take a moment to study him.

He has that blue sweatshirt from the picture on, and untied shoelaces. Somehow, he’s stocky and you wonder if he’s stuffed his shirt with something to make him look chubby or if it’s another monster magic thing. His skeletoniness seems to be the only thing he shares appearance wise with his taller, thinner brother. It’s fascinating to watch him talk without moving his mouth but somehow you find you’re still able to read his expressions.

He turns to you and gives you another wink while he’s bickering with Papyrus and you feel your face turning red.

Shit.

You hear a cough from the door and there stands Jo, looking between you and Sans with a shrewd grin before their gaze settles on you and their smile widens further. You pull your hands up to try and cover your red cheeks, but the damage has been done and they’re running off, calling for Laurel.

_Shit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *kylee henke voice* SAAAANNSSS
> 
> We finally have met Sans, this is a big day folks. Also PAPYRUS and UNDYNE WOO!!! 
> 
> You may have noticed some of the tags changed, and I just wanted to warn y'all that there is indeed going to be some angst, and big plotty things. I'll add more tags as they become relevant, but for now I wanna keep it as surprise. 
> 
> http://mazberrypie.tumblr.com/


	6. sans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You can't help but think that little skeleton is rather charming...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been reading/writing so much UT fanfic lately and drawing a lot more recently. Undertale has seriously renewed my enthusiasm for all my hobbies like dang thanks @ toby fox

You escape to the playroom under the pretense of checking on the kids. Which is actually what you want to do, but only to make sure that Jo and Laurel aren’t plotting your demise. That is to say, plotting ways to force you onto a certain skeleton.

They must have been expecting you, because they’re innocently putting together a puzzle when you arrive, blinking up at you with wide, doe eyes. You don’t buy it for a second, but sit down by them all the same, leaning over to see their puzzle.

Laurel is obviously taking the initiative, methodically putting together all the out side pieces while sorting the others into piles of similar color. Jo, on the other hand, is testing to see if any of the pieces it together, and passing pairs back to Laurel. It looks like Kid has their own puzzle out with Frisk, though the most they can do is sort the pieces with their feet and nudge them towards Frisk.

“Sans and Papyrus are here.” You tell them and Kid straightens immediately.

Frisk taps their ear in a way that you think means “I heard” while Kid takes off for the living room. You can hear Papyrus loudly greet them and Kid’s voice eagerly talking back. Giving a little laugh, you shift so that you’re facing Frisk and their puzzle.

They’re less set on putting it together perfectly, instead working on big chunks at a time. When they reach for a piece that’s just a little too far, you pick it up and pass it over, earning a grin and a ‘thank you’ in return.

“You’re welcome.” You smile easily. “Do you like puzzles?”

Frisk nods quickly, reaching behind them to grab a white board and pen. You wait patiently as they write, carefully putting down each of the letters while sticking out their tongue in concentration. They turn it around so you can read.

“ _Papyrus and I do a lot of puzzles together, and Mom just keeps buying more._ ”

“I see.” You nod, glancing over at the stack of puzzle boxes along the wall.

Frisk scrubs at the board with their sweater sleeve, and begins writing again. “ _Do you want to help me?_ ”

“Sure.” You begin sorting out pieces like Kid had been doing, passing them over so Frisk could put them into place.

The two of you have gotten a decent ways into the puzzle when you hear Papyrus calling from the hall.

“New human friend! Toriel requests your presence in the-” He cuts off just as he’s entered the room, Kid trailing closely behind him and bumping into his legs.

Papyrus is staring at the twins in a mixture of confusion and awe and you’re just about to hop up and introduce everyone when he turns back to you. “New human friend! How did you clone yourself twice? And why are your clones so small?!”

With a chuckle, you scoot closer to the twins.

“Papyrus, these are my younger siblings. Jo and Laurel.” You motion to each and Jo gives an excited wave while Laurel merely nods in acknowledgement. “They’re not clones, they’re twins.”

“So...” Papyrus’ brow furrows. “There are...two of them?”

“Last I checked.” You tease, ruffling the twins’ hair.

“And...they look the same?”

“Actually, I’m taller and I have longer hair than Laurel.” Jo declares and hurries to their feet. “So you’re Papyrus, huh? Kid told me a lot about you! They said that you were a super cool hero in the Underground and that you were a part of the Royal Guard!”

"Well," Papyrus has turned red again, though you notice that his blush manifests in an almost orange color. "I was not yet a part of the Guard, but I was well on my way!"

"That's so cool!" Jo jumps forward and grabs his hand, well, _glove_. "Frisk was saying that you like puzzles too! Do you want to help me and Laurel with ours?”

Papyrus’ expression brightens and he lets himself be dragged to the floor, functioning as the puzzle piece sorter while Laurel works. Frisk looks up and gives their friend a smile, tugging on him a little so he’s in between them and the twins. They quickly sign something to him, and he cackles slightly and nods in return.

You hop up, giving a little stretch. “I’m gonna go see what Toriel needs.”

Frisk signs a quick thank you, hands too occupied with puzzle pieces to write, and pantomimes putting a puzzle together and a thumbs up. You laugh and give them a thumbs up back before heading back into the living room.

Sans is still in the recliner, and Undyne is speaking loudly with someone on the phone.

“Papyrus has been enlisted into puzzle making.” You inform Sans on your way through, and he gives a little snicker.

“Why I am not surprised?”

In the kitchen, Toriel is gathering up various pots and pans, and she glances up with a relieved look when you enter.

“Ah, would you mind helping me carry this out to the table dear? I would ask Papyrus, but the last time I had him carry something he ended up tripping and throwing it all out the window.” Toriel looks a little harried and you can’t help but agree.

It take a couple of trips to cart everything to the table and by the time you’ve finished, your arms are aching slightly and you collapse into a chair.

“Hey pal, it’s my job to be _bone tired_.” Sans teases, though he didn’t move once the whole time you played pack mule.

You snort at that and shake your head. “That was bad.”

“Eh, what can I say. If every water sausage was perfect, we wouldn’t have hot dogs.”

You’re not really sure what that means, and Sans laughs at your apparent confusion.

“So, do you and Papyrus live in town too?” You ask after a beat of comfortable silence.

“Nah, we’re in the town over.” Sans sinks back into the recliner, melting into it like he's liquid rather than bone. "We wanted to stay close to Tori and Frisk, but it was easier to find a house out there.

You nod, frowning a little bit. While the majority of monsters are pretty well off, considering their currency from the Underground is  _literal gold_ , there are still problems with housing and finding work. There were new laws made to combat discrimination against monsters by not allowing them to rent an apartment or refusing them a job, but bigots always seem to find a way around that sort of thing.

"That's too bad." You tell him. "You two and Frisk seem pretty close."

"Yeah well, they're a great kid." He shrugs. "And they helped all of us reach the surface, so."

You hum, and remember that you have coffee that's likely getting cold. Taking up your mug, you sip, glad for the excuse to not speak. Something about talking to Sans is...different than talking to Undyne. Maybe because he isn't forcing you to say anything, just kinda let you guide the conversation if you even want to have one.

"What about you?" He asks, and you wonder vaguely if he read your mind and decided to do _the exact opposite of what you'd just been thinking just to screw with you_. "Where do you and your siblings live?"

You finish the gulp you've just taken and rub your thumb along the rim of your mug, just to occupy your hands. "We've got a farm a little ways out of town."

"Farm, eh? Not exactly my _cup of tea_..." He motions to your mug and you chuckle slightly.

You hold it up to him with a little grin. "It's coffee, actually."

"Ah, there's always something." Sans' smile doesn't waver. "You must keep your secrets close to your chest, huh?"

Blinking, you frown at the little skeleton. That sounds ominous... "Uh, what do you mean?"

"Well, you know, corn fields are all _ears_." He winks and you laugh, part in humor and part in relief.

A grin still tugging at your mouth, you decide to try your own."Yeah, I suppose so. Though, I've often been told, that I'm _out-standing in my field_."

Sans gives a low chuckle and he shifts in his chair to lean towards you.

"Well, I hear farm life is rough, sometimes you _barley_ survive _wheat-to-wheat_."

"Oh god." Snorting, you roll your eyes. "That was a bit of a stretch."

"Eh, you're right. Besides, trying any others would just be..."

"Don't do it."

" _Milking_ it." Sans puts his hands out to the side and gives a little shrug.

You burst into giggles, laughing hard enough to bring tears to your eyes. Sans looks extremely pleased with himself, burying his hands in his sweatshirt pockets and nodding in satisfaction. It takes you a minute to calm back down, waving your hands at your likely very red face.

"That was terrible." You say once you can breathe. "Just awful."

"You seemed to like it." Sans counters, giving you another of his sly winks as he slides out of the recliner. "Anyways, I think Alphys is here. You'll probably want to meet her."

Just a moment later, there's a tentative knock on the door and you blink in surprise. Sans gives another little shrug, brushing off his ability to predict the missing party's arrival and wandering out into the hall. You tag along, nearly getting barreled over by Undyne who is racing to open the door up.

"BABE!" She exclaims once she's thrown open the door, stooping down to hug the yellow, reptilian monster on the porch. "HI!"

“U-Undyne!” It’s Alphys, based on what you remember from the pictures, and she’s staring up at Undyne with a pleased, though slightly embarrassed, look. “Sorry we’re so l-late.”

“No worries, we haven’t started eating yet!” Undyne assures her, rubbing her shoulder as she straightens up. “Here, meet the person who helped out Frisk and Kid the other day!”

Undyne tugs you forward and places you in front of the of Alphys.

“Oh uh, hi!” Alphys’ voice is a little shaky, but she’s giving you a little smile. “It was c-cool of you to help out the kids.”

“Heh, it’s no big deal, I was just doing what anyone else would...” You rub your arm, giving Alphys a self deprecating shrug.

“Oh Darling, don’t put yourself down like that!” A mechanical voice lilts from behind the lizard woman and you glance up, and up, to see a robot that could only be Mettaton. “You did a great thing, taking care of those two sweethearts!”

You blink up at him and remember you’re probably supposed to respond. “Uh, thanks.”

Mettaton flashes a blinding (literally blinding, what kind of cleaner was he using on those teeth? Also, why does a robot need teeth???) smile and sashays into the house, calling out for Frisk.

“Sorry about him...” Alphys pipes back up. “He wants everyone to feel good about themselves and kinda...bullies them until they do.”

“No, that’s alright, that’s pretty cool actually.” You shake it off. “I thought Toriel said you were bringing his cousin too?”

“I’m right here.”  A faint, wispy voice calls from behind you and you startle and turn to see a literal sheet ghost.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t see you there!”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to notice me. I’m used to it.” They hover a foot about the air and seem to fold in on themself a little.

You automatically feel extremely guilty for missing them go by and decide to amend that. “Here, what’s your name?”

“.....Napstablook.” Napstablook responds. “....what’s yours?”

You tell them. “Well, Napstablook, I know someone who would really like to meet you. Is that okay?”

“Sure...I guess. Don’t feel pressured to introduce us...or anything....”

The other three adults watch curiously as you call for Laurel, who emerges from the play room a moment later. Their eyes get wide when they see Napstablook and they hurry over to your side.

“Are you....a ghost?” Laurel asks, staring up at them in what could only be described as awe.

Napstablook seems to shift slightly. “...yeah...”

“ _Cool_.”

Napstablook seems slightly cheered by Laurel’s enthusiasm. “Uh, can I show you something?”

Laurel nods encouragingly. To your surprise, Napstablook begins to cry, but their tears go upwards and create a spiffy little top hat. Both you and Laurel watch with wide eyes as it forms.

“I call it dapperblook...do you like it?” Napstablook asks, looking hesitant.

“Yes!” Laurel moves closer and then glances towards the playroom. “Will you come show my sibling too?”

“Oh....okay.” Napstablook follows meekly and you give a little fist pump when they’re both gone.

“What was that about?” Sans asks, amusement clear in his voice.

“I just wanted to cheer them up and Laurel really likes ghosts, so.” You smile, laughing a little when you hear Jo’s shout of joy from the playroom.

“THAT’S SO COOL!!!” Their voice echoes through the house and you can hear Napstablook muttering in response.

Undyne grins wide at that, giving you a rough pat on the shoulder. “You’re a pretty cool dude, punk.”

“Uh, thanks?” You laugh, rubbing the spot she hit a little.

“Is that Alphys and the others?” Toriel’s voice trails in from the kitchen. “Tell everyone to wash up, dinner is ready!”

“Sweet!” Undyne cheers and flings herself towards the playroom while you and the others head for the dining area.

Jo demands that Papyrus sit by them once they reach the table, Kid taking his other side while Laurel remains occupied with Napstablook. Mettaton is beaming in a way that makes it clear that he’s glad of his cousin’s new friend and Frisk smiles at you from across the table. You can’t help but feel a warm, fluttery feeling as you take in the whole group, all talking and laughing as they dig into the spread. This is..nice.

You catch Sans’ eye and he gives you a knowing grin and a wink.

Really, _really_ nice. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell I had fun with the puns? Cause I did :) I shamelessly took that hot dog quote from Steven Universe, with a slight adjustment to make it more Sans relevant.
> 
> Also, this is the first chapter that occurs immediately after the previous, so that's something new. 
> 
> Laurel's love for ghosts comes from my own. "Would you smooch a ghost?" Hell Yes
> 
> http://mazberrypie.tumblr.com/
> 
> (Edited 12/17/2015.)


	7. Laurel, Sibling Worrier Extraordinaire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You probably ought to take better care of yourself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginnings of a plotline, it seems...

Dinner goes extremely well.The food is great, the company hilarious, and your siblings spend the whole time grinning at their new friends. You discover a lot of new things about the ragtag group of monsters, some surprising and some...not so much. Undyne is going to a police academy, training hard so she can join the local force. Alphys is attending grad school, because apparently her doctorate from the Underground doesn’t count up on the surface (a fact that makes Undyne glower and shake her head angrily). Mettaton is making a name for himself performing, along with Napstablook and another monster named Shyren who the robot promises he’ll introduce to you.

They’re all charming, and kind, and incredibly funny even when they’re not trying. Sans and Toriel, you’re amazed to discover, are the comedic duo of the group. They set each other up for pun after pun during the night, sending you into fits of giggles and Papyrus in to screaming rages. Though, after you catch him chuckling to himself several times over the course of dinner, you figure his dislike for puns is all for show. Or maybe he just likes to see his brother happy.

Laurel is completely enamoured with Napstablook, mostly because they’re a ghost but also because they’re quiet and sweet. The two of them talk about music during the dinner, and Laurel even strikes up a conversation with Frisk via whiteboard. Jo and Kid are still BFF’s it seems, further united by their shared admiration for Papyrus. The tall skeleton couldn’t be happier to have a new addition to his fan club, patting Jo’s head often and giving them wide grins as he describes his very exciting and action-packed life.

Both had been reluctant to head back home, but after an assurance from both Toriel and Papyrus that they’d be able to visit again soon, they allow themselves to be swept in the car and  taken home. Toriel sends you off with some of her butterscotch cinnamon pie (which is incredible) and the promise to call and set up a playdate soon.

“Frisk is going to teach me how to sign!” Laurel tells you in the car, sounding the most enthusiastic you’ve seen them in a while.

“That’s awesome Laur.” You smile at them in the rearview mirror. “Do you think they’d teach me some too?”

It occurred to you that night that Frisk had an awful lot to say, their hands rarely stilling throughout dinner. Sans would occasionally lean over and translate for you when it was relevant, but you felt as though there was a lot you were missing in the conversation, and in Frisk themself. Judging by the laughs they received, they’re a pretty funny kid.

“Yeah, I’ll ask them about it next time we hang out.”

You give them a grateful smile and focus back on the road. What with the weather growing steadily colder, the streets in town had become slick and icy, making driving a little bit more of an ordeal than you like. Luckily, you get through town without too much trouble and are soon on your way back home.

As per usual course of events, Jo has fallen asleep by the time you pull into the driveway and it takes both you and Laurel to wake them and help them up the stairs. Jo sleepily changes into their pj’s before stumbling into the bathroom to brush their teeth and take their medicine, Laurel following just a bit later.

“Did you two have fun tonight?” You ask as you tidy up some books, stacking them up on Laurel’s desk.

Jo gives a halfhearted nod and Laurel agrees with them, for once the more eager of the two. With a little chuckle, you press a kiss to each of their foreheads and wish them good night from the doorway.

“G’night.” Jo slurs and rolls over, snoring just a few moments later.

“Night big sib.” Laurel has their cow plushie snuggled to their face, blinking up at you with a small smile.

You grin lightly and flick off the lights, their strings of fairy lights still soft illuminating the room. Closing the door as quietly as possible, you yawn as you head back down the stairs. The pie is still sitting out on the counter so you put it into the fridge, resisting the temptation to have another piece. There are still some dishes left from making the crumble and you get to washing with a light sigh.

Elbow deep in soapy water, you notice a scrap of paper on the counter and dry off one hand to pick it up.

_Heya Boss! I heard you and the kiddos getting home and skipped out while you got them set up for bed. All the animals are fine, I left out some fresh water for the cats and cleared out the chicken coop. I know that's the twins’ job but I figured they’d be tired. Anyway, see you next Thursday, bright and early!_

_-Danny_

You’d nearly forgotten that you’d given Danny the week off, his sister is in town and he wants to spend sometime with her and her partner. That’s fine, you and the twins can generally manage things around the farm without too much trouble for a little while. You actually had originally hired Danny as a handyman, he technically isn’t supposed to be working as often as he does, but he doesn’t mind driving over to help out. And you appreciate the extra set of hands around the farm, so no harm done.

Once the dishes are all done, you dry off completely and shuffle into your office. There’s a stack of paperwork you had neglected to go to the dinner, and it will probably take most of the night to get through. That’s fine too, it’s not like this will be the first all nighter you’ve pulled, and the twins are going over to Asgore’s house tomorrow to help in his garden, meaning you’ll have time to catch up on sleep in the morning.

You take a seat and stare at the forms for a moment before rubbing your eyes wearily. The farm wasn’t struggling, per se, you had enough disposable income that you were able to get groceries and supplies for the animals every week. But, it was still rough going sometimes, especially in the winter when there was no produce to sell. With the addition of Jo’s prescription and the leftover hospital expenses, money is tight. Knowing you’d been in for a long night, you pick up your reading glasses and set to work.

You’ve manage to get through most of it when you start to feel dizzy tired, instantly regretting that you didn’t think to make more coffee. You’re determined to stay up, but elect to rest your eyes a moment, leaning on your hand when-

“Hey. Hey, wake up!” You hear someone calling your name and jerk awake, sitting up in your office chair abruptly.

Laurel is standing before you, arms crossed in an unimpressed manner and looking infinitely less pleased with you than they had the night before. “Did you stay up all night again?”

Checking the clock, you’re unsurprised to see that it’s two hours later and your brilliant plan to rest your eyes resulted in you passing out.

“Almost.” You stretch and yawn, rubbing at your eyes tiredly. “Sorry, did you just wake up? Do you want me to make you some breakfast?”

“Asgore said he’d make up some.” Laurel shakes their head and motions to the ceiling. “Jo’s still getting ready but we’re going over in a second.”

You realize that Laurel’s completely dressed, already wearing their coat and scarf. Somehow you slept through them getting ready downstairs, which is a bit odd because you’re a fairly light sleeper. You're a bit concerned and still feeling a little fuzzy from your nap when you move to stand, stumbling slightly.

“Are you alright?” Laurel asks, their hands out to steady you.

“Yeah, sorry.” You apologize again. “Guess I’m still a little out of it.”

Laurel crosses their arms again, though now it seems more protective than judgemental. “I don’t like it when you stay up all night. I don’t want you to get s-sick or something.”

Their voice cracks on the word and you blink down at them, realizing how truly affected they are. Laurel tries to sniffle surreptitiously but their eyes are a little misty and you automatically feel terrible.

“Hey now, it’s alright.” You swoop down to hug them, pulling them close. “I’m sorry that I scared you, I won’t do it again.”

Laurel clings to you a moment, their breathing shallow as they try to calm down. You stroke their back and hair, giving them time to think it out. Eventually, they pull away and wipe at their eyes.

“Sorry.” They sniffle a little. “It’s just...after Jo...”

Laurel gives a vague motion and you nod. “It’s okay. We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

Laurel nods and tugs on the front of their jacket. There’s sudden stomping on their stairs and Jo bursts into the hall, grinning at the two of you.   
  
“Are you ready Laur?” They ask eagerly, hopping a little in place.

“Yeah.” Laurel turns to them with a smile and then frowns. “Have you taken your meds yet?”

“Oops!” Jo takes off towards the bathroom, and you can hear them rooting around in the medicine cabinet.

Laurel is muttering, something about ‘ _dumb siblings who don’t take care of themselves_ ’ and you pull them into one last hug before you shuffle out to the hall. Giving Jo a little wave as they scurry past you, you stumble into your room and out of last night’s clothes. You throw on a ratty old t shirt and a warm pair of pajama pants and collapse into bed, burrowing into your blankets and pillows.

You’re just drifting off when you hear a quiet knock on the door and glance up to see Jo lingering in the doorway.

“Um.” They look a little embarrassed. “I just wanted to say good morning cause I didn’t earlier. And goodbye...”

With a little grin, you motion them over, pulling them into a hug and dropping a quick kiss on their forehead. “Good morning Jo. Have a good time at Asgore’s, okay?”

“Okay!” Jo seems cheered, pressing their lips to your cheek quickly and then pulling away. “Have a good nap!”

“I will.” You hum, rolling back over and listening to the sounds of the twins talking and heading out the door before drifting off to sleep.

Again you are awakened by a loud sound, though this time it’s your phone ringing. Giving a hacking cough to clear your throat, you drop the phone onto the pillow by your ear.

“Hello?”

“ _Hello, this is Toriel! How are you?_ ”

“Oh, hi Toriel. I’m doing alright.” You lie, stretching a bit and trying to ignore your pounding headache. “How about you?”

“ _Just grand dear, thank you for asking. Now, I know it’s a bit soon to be calling again, but Frisk was wondering if the twins would like to come over to play?_ ”

“I’m sure they would love that, what day would you be able to have them over?”

“ _Today! If that’s alright with you._ ”

You’re just about to agree when you remember that the twins are currently over at a certain fuzzy gardener’s house. “Oh, uh, actually. Jo and Laurel are at...a neighbor’s house at the moment.”

You’re still not really sure how Toriel and Asgore stand and figure it’s best to be vague.

“ _...are they visiting Asgore?_ ”

Or not.

“Yeah, he wanted some help in the garden and...well, the twins really like his company.”  

“ _I see. I assure you I don’t mind, Asgore and I have...reconciled. Is there another time they would be able to come over?_ ”

“Hmm.” You roll over and tug the blanket a little firmer under your chin. “Would tomorrow work? I could probably swing by.”

“ _Well, I actually have a few meetings I need to attend and I was going to have Kid’s parents watch Frisk for me..._ ”

“What if both Frisk and Kid came over here instead?” You offer. “I could pick them both up and they could hang out on the farm. See the animals and stuff.”

“ _Would that be alright? They can be a lot to manage on your own..._ ” Toriel doesn’t seem adverse to the idea, more like she’s concerned for you.

“Yeah, of course!” You assure her, propping yourself up a bit. “That would be great, actually. The twins haven’t had friends over here in...”

Pausing, you try to remember the last time Jo or Laurel had a friend over. It has to have been...man, it has to have been their birthday, back in Spring. Being homeschooled, both kiddos don’t really get a chance to hang out with kids their age other than...each other. Not that they’re friendless, they have some buddies in town and even some neighbor kids that they visit from time to time but it isn’t a lot. You immediately feel a bit guilty, though you know the homeschooling is for good reasons.

Abruptly, you hear Toriel calling your name. “ _Are you still there?_ ”

“Sorry, I just got lost in thought I guess.” You cough lightly. “Anyways, it’s been a bit since the twins had friends over, so I’m sure they’d love it.”

“ _Alright, just so long as you’re sure. I could talk to Kid’s parents today and see if they’re alright with it._ ”

“They have my number, so they can call if they need to.”

“ _Ah, perfect! I’ll let them know and call you back sometime later today, alright?_ ”

“Sounds good to me.”

You wrap up your conversation with Toriel and sigh, rubbing your eyes and checking the clock. It’s almost noon, which means you ought to get up and be productive, and  _eat something_. With a groan, you stumble out of your room and attempt a beginning to your day.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to let you guys know that, while I am the type of person who would love to respond to every single comment, it's quickly getting to the point where I can't manage them all. So, I will answer any questions that come up and I will continue to read them all and blush, but if you'd like to talk to me directly about Don't Carry It All, I would recommend popping over to my tumblr. I'm going to start putting more updates and answering questions over there, and I'll track 'dont carry it all ut' if you have anything you wanna show me! 
> 
> Again, I appreciate the response to this fic so much and I am absolutely blown away every time I think about it. Thank you all so much for your support! 
> 
> http://mazberrypie.tumblr.com/


	8. April, a Kid or a Trigger?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for a play date!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry.

You had been, admittedly, half asleep when you told Toriel that keeping an eye on four kids for the day wouldn’t be a problem. Not that you were going to back out or anything, it’s just that now that you have a car full of rambunctious kiddos, you’re beginning to feel a bit..wary. 

“And then, and then! I was on the bridge and I told Frisk what Undyne said and I told them to say something mean so I could hate them, like Undyne said to, but they wouldn’t! So then I tried, but I felt really bad so I was gonna leave but then I fell! And Frisk saved me! Even though Undyne was right there!” 

“Wow!” You can practically hear the stars in Jo’s eyes as they listen to the story, even though you’re pretty sure this is the third time Kid has told it. “And then what happened?”

“I told Undyne that she’d have to go through me if she wanted to hurt Frisk and she left and now Frisk and I are best friends!” Kid declares proudly, sitting up high in their seat while Jo claps. 

“So wait, I thought this meant ‘home’?” Laurel asks, leaning towards the backseat to show Frisk the gesture. Frisk nods in return, signing something else slowly. “Oh, okay so it was actually called Home.” 

The conversation continues in the same manner until you’re driving the truck up along the farm house. 

“YO! Jo, your house is so cool!” Kid exclaims as they jump out of the truck, hoping up and down in front of the farmhouse. 

Jo beams proudly while you chuckle and head up the the door. You unlock the deadbolt with the precision that come from years of fumbling with the keys, and step aside to let everyone in. Laurel and Jo stop in the entryway, pulling off their shoes without you even having to prompt the action. You smile proudly, glad that the request to “leave muddy boots in the entry” finally seems to have stuck. 

“Does Frisk need to take off their shoes too?” Kid asks, and you notice that the monster themself doesn’t wear shoes, instead walking around on bare, reptilian feet. 

“If you don’t mind.” You tell Frisk and they shrug easily, toeing off their sneakers before signing something to Kid. 

“Ha! Frisk says this is just like Alphys’ anime!” Kid laughs loudly and your lip quirks in humor as well. 

Jo is waiting in the hall for Kid to catch up while Laurel runs into the kitchen to present the plate of cookies they’d made for their guests. Both Frisk and Kid take one, Frisk placing the cookie into their friends’ open mouth to make things a little easier. Munching on the treats, the kids stand in the kitchen, talking amongst themselves while you pour yourself some water. 

“Anyone else want something to drink? We have milk, orange juice, apple juice and water."

“I’ll have milk please!” Kid requests, still chewing on bits of cookie. “I’m gonna be as tall as Papyrus when I grow up! Nyeh heh heh!” 

You stifle a full out laugh at their Papyrus impression (which is  _ dead  _ on, heh) and pour them some milk. After a moment of deliberation, you put a twisty straw into the cup, one of those old ones from when the twins were small and needed Winnie the Pooh on their straw to convince them to drink their milk. Kid looks charmed by the little anthropomorphic bear and starts sipping at the beverage as soon as you place it in front of them. 

Abruptly, you realize you weren’t sure if Frisk had asked for something. You turn to them and open your mouth to ask when you see that Frisk has their whiteboard out and is giving you a wide smile. 

“Water, please.” Is written in their neat handwriting and you nod before getting some water from the filter. 

The twins are already talking about what they have planned for the day and you half pay attention as you nibble on your own cookie. The initial anxiety of having to keep an eye on all the children has faded away into merely a slight stress. Both Frisk and Kid are pretty responsible and polite kids and so far everything is fine. There was probably nothing to worry about in the first place. 

You’re lost in thought when you feel a tug at your sleeve. Frisk is at your elbow and holding up their whiteboard again, this time it reads “Can we see the animals?” 

“Yeah, of course! Kid, would you like to come look at the animals with me and Frisk?” 

“That would be cool!” Kid nods eagerly, quickly sipping down the last of their milk and then straightening. 

“Alright, let’s grab our shoes again.” You guide the kids back to the entry, get everyone situated with boots and coats, and lead the way outside. 

With your gaggle of children you make your way towards the barn first, most of the animals are in there. Frisk tugs at your arm again, signs something to Kid and motions back to you. 

“Frisk wants to know how many animals you have!” Kid translates, puttering along on their short little legs. 

“Well, we have six chickens and three goats. I also have a horse, but she lives at a ranch down the road.” You explain and push aside the bar across the barn doors. 

Frisk tilts their head in question and signs again. “Why doesn’t the horse stay here?”

“Convenience sake, mostly. I don’t have a lot of time to ride, and at the ranch they have people who can get her out to exercise and take time to clean her everyday.” Stepping aside, you let the kids walk into the barn in front of you before closing the door. 

“The goats don’t mind the cold, but they like to hang out in here during the winter.” Laurel explains, making their way across the barn and to the nesty pile of hay in the corner before calling softly. “Daisy, April, Rammy!” 

There is a soft braying and Daisy, the oldest of the goats, comes clomping out of the the hay. Laurel gives a little whistle, drawing Daisy over to their side so they can reach out and pet her. Frisk and Kid watch in amazement as the goat nibbles at Laurel’s fingertips, the child calm and relaxed as they laugh lightly. 

“Yo, Frisk...that looks like...” Kid starts and the four of you turn to them in curiosity. “That look like your  _ mom _ .” 

Surprised and a bit bewildered, you glance back at Daisy and yeah, you can definitely see it. Your first thought had been that Toriel was some kind of goat monster when you met her, and Daisy’s thick white fur and deep brown eyes certainly parallel the woman. You snicker lightly, Laurel giggling as well, before all five of you are cracking up laughing. 

Daisy seems weirded out by the group's behaviour and she shuffles away from Laurel, ignoring their cooing to investigate Frisk and Kid. She sniffs both, snuffling into Frisk’s hands and gives Kid a light bump with her horns before bleating back at the pile. Another goat pokes it’s head up from the hay and shyly makes it’s way out into the barn. 

April is a near perfect copy of her mother, white and soft and just a bit smaller in size. She’s fond of Jo, seeing as they were there when she was first born, and sidles up beside them. You’re about to suggest that Kid and Frisk try feeding the kid when you notice Frisk has gone still and pale, staring at April in horror. 

“Hey, Frisk, are you alright?” You hurry to their side, gently placing a hand on their shoulder. 

They startle at the contact and you immediately draw back, holding up both hands so they can see them. “Hey, it’s just me. You’re breathing pretty fast, can you try to slow it down for me?” 

They stare at you a moment, their eyes looking far away before they focus on you again and let out a slow, shuddering breath. 

“There you go.” You smile encouragingly as they take several more deep breaths. “You alright?” 

Frisk nods slowly and lifts their hands to sign. Kid translates again, looking concerned and feeling just as concerned as you are. 

“Sorry, they just reminded me of someone I used to know.” 

“Don’t apologize, you didn’t do anything wrong.” You shake your head. “If April makes you uncomfortable, we can move on to the chickens, okay?”

They hesitate a moment, glancing back at the kid, before giving another nod. With firm resolve, you shepherd the kiddos out of the barn, leaving some hay on top of the rest before closing the door behind you. Jo’s taken the lead this time, guiding everyone towards the chicken coup and you take the moment to pull out your phone and send off a quick text. 

_ Hey Sans.  _ You tell him who you are.  _ Toriel gave me your number cause I have Kid and Frisk at my house today and she’s busy with meetings. I just wanted to let you know that I think Frisk had a panic attack? I’m not sure but I’m going to try to talk to them away from the other kids and see if they need a break. _

Toriel left Sans number with you in the case of an emergency, and while you aren’t too sure if this qualifies, you figure it’s best to let him know. 

_ kay. keep an eye on them, i can come get them if they need to leave _

You’re not really surprised by the lack of capitalization, though the lack of jokes comes as a bit of a shock. It’s reassuring that Sans is seemingly taking this seriously though, panic attacks are no fun, especially as a kid in an unfamiliar place. You figure you’ll be able to pull Frisk aside later and have a Talk to see how they’re doing. It’s better not to try and do it in front of the other kids, regardless of how understanding they’d be. 

“Are you coming or what?” You hear Jo call and hurriedly pocket your phone. 

Jogging a little to catch up, you meet the kids by the chicken’s run. Jo already has a chicken in their hands and seems to be about to place it on Kid’s head, whose eyes are wide with delight. 

“Um, Jo...” But it’s too late, Chica has already settled on Kid’s head and look content to sit there. “Well alright, then.” 

Laurel is pointing out the chickens and listing of their names, rolling their eyes heavily once they get to  _ Egg _ lantine and  _ Lay _ la. You let out a little pleased snicker and Frisk gives a silent huff of laughter. 

“Sans would like that.” Kid says as they sign, smiling and trying to hold still as Chica scraps her beak against their head. 

“I bet he would.” You chuckle and carefully pluck the chicken up, Kid’s shoulders sagging in relief. 

Giving Chica a little pet, you place her down with the other chickens and pull the bag of feed out from the storage shed Danny helped you build.    


“Who wants to feed them?” You ask, holding up a cup of feed to a chorus of “me!”s.

Each kid gets a chance to spread feed over the run, Frisk fearlessly cupping the food in their hands and waiting for the chickens to approach them. You’re about to let them know that it takes a bit for the chickens to warm up to new people (except Chica, of course) but they seem so determined to make it work that you leave them be. Eventually, all six are gathered around Frisk, pecking hesitantly at their hands before scurrying away. Frisk looks delighted and you’re glad their mood seems to have improved. 

Now it’s just a matter of talking to them and making sure they’re actually alright. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have wonderfully awful things planned. I may be changing the tags some more, oops. 
> 
> (Also, we have Sans' number now ohohohoh, one step closer to dating the skelly.) 
> 
> http://mazberrypie.tumblr.com/


	9. sans and other concerned parties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "This is going to sound really, really weird, but what color are Frisk's eyes?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for taking so long to update. I kinda had a falling out with Undertale and also got really REALLY into another fandom (you may have noticed the FOUR NEW FANFICS I'VE WRITTEN SINCE UPDATING) and this chapter was hard to finish. But after idk, reconciling? with Undertale, I am back and I plan to actually finish this fic. I'm still enamored with the OCs and a lot of the plot, so I'm gonna stick with it!

After being entertained by the chickens for a while, the kids decide they want to head back inside. Jo and Laurel have a list (made with honest-to-god pen and paper, Laurel doesn’t do plans halfway) of video games and movies they want to share with Frisk and Kid. You plan to put together some snacks and then get some work done, there’s a few repairs that need to be done around the farm that you noticed while walking, and the ever present pile of bills and paperwork need attending to as well. 

“What are we having for dinner?” Jo asks as you all enter back into the house. 

“Well,” You pause for effect, waiting until all of their eyes are on you. “I thought I’d make some grilled cheese.” 

Laurel gives a little whoop of joy (though for Laurel, a ‘whoop’ isn’t much louder than their usual volume) while the other kids look amused and happy. Grilled cheese is always a crowd pleaser, especially the way you do it. You can only imagine Kid’s face when you pull out the dinosaur sandwich cutters, you just hope it doesn’t freak them out too much...

The kids are about to run upstairs, but you carefully grab Frisk’s attention before they go. 

“Hey Frisk, do you mind helping me with something in the kitchen for a moment?” 

Frisk hesitates, looking slightly wary, but nods. Kid hangs back, giving you both a concerned look, but you wave them on. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t keep Frisk for long.”    
That seemingly assures the little monster and Kid scurries up the stairs, nearly tripping when they get to the landing. 

Frisk smiles after them fondly and then follows you to the kitchen, grabbing up their whiteboard as they go, seeing as they left it inside before. When you’d asked them for help, you genuinely wanted it, figuring it be best to let Jo and Laurel set up the movies while you and Frisk gathered some snacks. You pull out an air popper and some popcorn kernels while directing Frisk to your secret candy stash (Jo would get into it otherwise and Jo on a sugar rush is  _ not fun _ ). 

Frisk is gathering the sweets they know that Kid will like as you finish up the popcorn, pulling a bag of pretzels from the pantry as well. 

“Drinks?” You ask and Frisk gives a little nod, the two of you gathering some glasses and a carton of juice. 

“Okay, before we head up, I just want to make sure you’re feeling alright.” Dropping the snacks on the counter, you turn and give Frisk your ‘serious but caring older sibling’ look. 

Frisk gives a little huff, as though they were expecting this, and pulls out their white board. 

“I’m alright, I was just a little freaked out. I should be fine for now.” 

You study them, taking in their relaxed expression and decidedly unshaky handwriting before throwing your hands in the air. “Alright, I’ll leave you alone. Just let me know if anything else comes up, okay? There’s no shame in having to go stay with Sans for the day if that’s what’s going to make you feel comfortable and safe.” 

Frisk looks a little surprised by your words, and they wipe their board clean to write a quick ‘thank you’ before running to give you a hug. Despite being shocked by their sudden affection, you laugh lightly and hug them back, ruffling their hair a bit as you let go. They grin up at you and then grab the candy and pretzels, heading for the stairs while you grab the rest. 

The other kids are immensely pleased when the two of you arrive with snacks, though you notice Kid giving Frisk a quick once over for any sign that they’re upset. They seem happy to see that they aren’t. You drop everything off, making sure that everyone has what they need, before heading back downstairs. There was a time when you would have stayed with the kids, but Jo and Laurel are getting older and you want them to be able to enjoy one-on-one time with kids their age. 

Downstairs, you run around, finishing chores and repairs. Without Danny here, your work has doubled, but you manage. The kids run down when dinner is ready, devouring their food before charging back towards whatever movie or game they had to pause. You smile after them, and clean the kitchen quickly before moving onto the next thing. 

Back in your office, you sit down to yet another pile of paperwork. There are a million things you’d rather be doing than sorting through bills and late payments, but there is no one else around to do it for you, so you buck up and get to work. 

It’s much later that night when you hear the telltale creak of someone coming down the stairs. Stretching out your cramping hands, you peak out into the hall to see Frisk, at the top of the lowest flight, looking a bit startled by your appearance. 

“Hey kiddo. What’s up?” You call softly, giving them a reassuring smile. 

Frisk doesn’t have their whiteboard on them, and they mime drinking a from a cup. With a faint ‘ah’ and a nod, you hop up to heading into the kitchen before them, reaching up into one of the higher cupboards for a glass. 

“Water okay?” 

You turn and see Frisk nod, shuffling in their place at the counter. Filling up the glass with water from your filter, you pass it over and chuckle as Frisk takes a few big gulps. 

“Easy there tiger, don’t want you getting hiccups.” 

Frisk wrinkles their nose and noticeably slows down, sipping more delicately from the glass. 

With a little sigh, you lean back against the counter, stretching out your wrists some more. The two of you stand in easy silence, Frisk sipping and you stretching. When you listen closer, you can barely make out the sounds of the movie still going upstairs, but you can’t hear any voices. 

“Did everyone fall asleep?” You ask Frisk, who gets a sweet little smile on their face and nods. 

You chuckle at that. “Of course. Jo was going on about how they were going to stay up til three in the morning, but they always falls asleep at ten.” 

Frisk gives a hum, which almost startles you because it’s the first  _ noise  _ you’ve heard from them. Maybe it means they’re warming up to you? 

As you ponder, you suddenly feel a gentle tug at your elbow, and glance to see Frisk there. You raise an eyebrow and Frisk gestures towards the window. In the sill are all the flowers Asgore has gifted you and you blink, noticing they look a little worse for wear. Frisk holds up their glass, giving it a little shake. 

“Water! Oh my gosh you’re right, it’s been three days!” Bustling off towards the cupboards, you grab another glass, filling it up with water and hurrying back to the plants. 

Frisk seems to be laughing at you, their breath leaving in little puffs as they hide their mouth behind a hand, and you stick a tongue out at them playfully. 

Once you’ve watered the plants a decent amount, you lean back, satisfied with your work. 

“Thanks Frisk, I’m glad I have you to remind me.” You smile down at them. “ _ Someone _ has to take care of these flowers.” 

Frisk freezes and you watch with mounting horror as their face once again turns pale. Silently cursing yourself, you approach them slowly, crouching down until you’re directly in front of them. 

“Hey, Frisk, are you okay?” Both hands in front of you, you watch them carefully. 

Their breathing has definitely picked up and it’s even rougher than before. Their little limbs are shaking and their eyes are far away, like they’re in a different place. They haven’t responded to your question yet and you’re left panicking a little. 

_ What did I say? _ You wonder.  _ What set them off _ ? 

As gently as you can, you guide them to the couch. “Frisk, I’m going to need you to try to put your head between your legs. Can you do that for me?” 

Frisk gives a hard shudder, but draws up their legs and rests their head on them. You can’t see their face but your can hear them breathing, and it’s still too fast. 

“Okay, we’re going to try to slow our breathing again, alright?” Carefully taking their hand, you put it on your shoulder so they can feel your breaths. “Big breath in...” 

Frisk follows along, though their breath is a little uneven. 

“...and out.” 

They shake as they let the air out, and you feel your face crumbling at the poor kid being so shaken up. 

After a couple of breaths, they seem to have relaxed. You wait until their breathing is slow and steady to call out again. 

“Frisk?” 

They don’t move, or respond. Slightly concerned you tip forward, brushing their hair out of their face. Their eyes are closed, and their breathing is normal. It appears they were so worn out that they just, fell asleep. With a relieved sigh, you settle onto the couch beside them and jump a little when they pitch sideways and lean against you. Hesitantly, you bring a hand up to brush more hair out of their eyes, before combing your hands through it. 

You’re feeling a little shaky yourself as you draw your phone out, not pausing at all as you dial up Sans’ number. The phone rings, and rings, and rings until-

“Yellow.” His voice rumbles when he finally picks up. 

“Sans.” You know your voice is entirely too breathy, but you’re feeling a bit winded. “Frisk had another panic attack. It was worse than the last one.” 

“...shit. Okay, what’s your address?” 

You rattle it off and listen to Sans mutter to himself a moment before he says, “I can be there in three minutes.” 

“Three minutes?” Town was fifteen minutes away, and Sans lived an entire town over. “Are you sure?” 

“Yeah, I know a shortcut.” He brushes it off. “Do you know what set them off?” 

“I’m not positive, but I think it had something to with some flowers?” Your voice is unsure and slow. 

You hear a whistling sound, it almost seems like inhaling? Sans is quiet for a moment before speaking again. 

“I can be there in two minutes.” 

He hangs up before saying goodbye and you stare down at your phone in confusion.  _ Okayyy _ . 

To your immense surprise, not even a full minute passes before there is a quick knock on the door. Carefully laying Frisk back against the couch, you spring up and hurry to the...back door? Sans stands there, hands buried in his pockets and swaying lightly like he hasn’t got a care in the world. 

“Orange.” He says, and your laugh is just a little exhale through your nose, but his eyes crinkle when he sees you relax. “Where’s Frisk?” 

“Right in here.” You lead the way to the sleeping child and Sans stands in the middle of your living room, watching them carefully. 

“You said something about flowers?” 

“Yeah, they noticed I hadn’t watered the ones Asgore has given me in a while, and when I thanked them for reminding me they froze up? I managed to calm them down but they fell asleep.” You frown and cross your arms over your chest. “I would too, if I’d had two panic attacks in one day.” 

Sans nods sagely (you think it’s sagely, it’s kinda hard to read his expressions) and moves forwards towards Frisk. Something about him still seems tense, though you can't tell if that's just the fact that he's _made out of bones_ or if something is actually wrong. He drops a hand on their shoulder, giving it a little rub as he calls to them. Frisk’s eyes blink open, looking a little wild before they see Sans and relax. 

“Mornin’ sunshine. Sounds like you’ve had a long day.” 

Frisk nods, and sniffles a little, tears welling up in their eyes. 

“Hey now, none of that.” Sans sits by them, wrapping his arms around them as Frisk sobs into his sweatshirt. 

You hover, not getting too close, but still wanting to be present for Frisk. Eventually, their sobs subside and they pull away from Sans, hiccuping softly. 

“Guess you got those hiccups after all.” You say, and wince a little at yourself, but Frisk gives a breathy little laugh and it reassures you. 

“Do you wanna try spending the night here, or do you want me to take you back to me and Pap’s place?” Sans asks, tilting his head to look Frisk in the eyes. 

Frisk thinks a moment, frowning thoughtfully, before deliberately pointing to the ground with both hands. Sans doesn’t seem surprised, but you certainly are, staring at Frisk in shock as the stand up and make for the stairs. 

“Um, Frisk.” You call before they’re gone, and they glance over at you. “Wake me up if anything happens, okay?”

They nod and head up the stairs and when they’re out of sight you slump down onto the couch with a groan, placing your head in your hands. You feel Sans shift beside you, before a hand drops on your shoulder. 

“Hey, you’re not going to start crying on me too, right?  _ Water _ you sighing for?” 

You snort, sitting up slightly and staring at your hands. “I managed to trigger that poor kid twice today, and I don’t even know what I did! Toriel’s gonna hate me.” 

Sans makes a considering noise, and you glance over at him. 

“Well, first of all, I think you did a pretty good job of calming them down, both times it seems. Not everybody can handle a kid having a full blown panic attack. It doesn’t matter what you did, as long as you were there for them through afterwards? That’s what really counts.” He bumps you shoulder with his own. “Besides, we’ve all been around for Frisk’s panic attacks before, and they always come outta nowhere. Hell, I’ve caused a few myself.” 

“Really?” You ask, shocked.

“Yep, we all have. Frisk’s been through some tough stuff, both in the Underground and before. They won’t even tell us where they came from but I know it wasn’t good. The kid latches on to people like they’re gonna lose em if they don’t hold on tight enough.” 

You sigh again, staring back at the stairs. “Poor thing. That’s a lot for a kid to deal with.” 

“Yeah, they’re a real trooper about it though.” Sans leans back against the couch, crossing his legs at the ankle...bones. 

“So it seems.” You get lost in thought, wondering what could have happened to Frisk, both with the monsters and further back. 

Sans lets loose a yawn all of the sudden, stretching his bones and you startle when they crack. 

“Well, I gotta get home. Papyrus gets grumpy without his bedtime story.” Sans gives you a little salute and heads back towards the back door. 

Something is nagging at your mind (and it’s not the fact that Sans is going out the back way, though that’s a bit odd) and you call out before Sans can leave. 

“Hey, Sans?” 

“Yeah?” He glances back, hand on the doorknob. 

“This is gonna sound really,  _ really _ strange, but what color are Frisk’s eyes?” 

Sans looks a little weirded out but answers. “Uh. Brown, I guess? Why do you ask?”

“No reason.” You shake your head. “Thank you for coming by, I’ll let you know if anything else happens.” 

“Alright, g’night then.” 

“Good night.” You answer and Sans leaves through the door. 

Pausing a moment, you stand up and head to the back, opening the door slowly. The back porch light is on, casting the night into long shadows, but you can’t see Sans anywhere. 

_ Must be some of that monster magic _ . You conclude, and head back inside. 

The light in your office is still on, and you click it off, mechanically going through the steps before bed. As you settle down into your sheets, you think back to your question. Sans must have thought you were going crazy, asking something out of the blue like. It’s just...for a moment you could have sworn...

“Nevermind.” You sigh to yourself, rolling over and trying to put it out of your mind as you begin to fall asleep.   
(For a moment you could have sworn that Frisk’s eyes were  _ red _ .) 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @ me: I just want to say with all my heart...yikes. 
> 
> I've also decided to start responding to all comments again, cause I just really love interacting with you guys? I won't be going back and responding to any before now, but from here on out I'll drop a thank you or answer your questions.
> 
> [As always, I am available over on tumblr to talk about anything, so come visit! ](http://mazberrypie.tumblr.com/)


End file.
